Elementary Love
by Wolf Blossom
Summary: Architecture major, Inuyasha, remains the undisputed 'King' of Shuto University; a perfect trifecta of looks, smarts, and personality. He's well desired, yet no woman has been able to melt his stoic exterior… But then, he meets her…
1. Shuto University

**Note:**

**Very little research is put into the education system that will be used in this story. It is created to fit and work with the story.**

* * *

"You're in Sakura-Ai dorm?! So am I!"

The beginning of the school year always marked an exciting time for all students, but it was especially exciting for those who were going in to their first year of university. Shuto University was deemed to be a prestigious and elite post-secondary institution; the competition was fierce to enter any program Shuto University offered.

"_Waii_! Kagome, I'm so excited! I hope we're roommates… who knows, they may put first year students together!"

Higurashi Kagome moved from her closet to her open suitcase on her bed, packing up the small life she lived in Osaka to move to the capital city, Tokyo. Her cell phone was pressed between her shoulder and her ear, leaving her relatively hands-free to get her stuff together. Her bullet train was departing that evening, and her mother, brother, and grandfather were preparing a goodbye dinner in her honour.

"I hope so too." Kagome murmured to her best friend, Sango. "Otherwise we'd never see each other! Kinesiology and history—they're such different majors."

"Here's to hoping. When's your bullet arriving?"

"Ten at night… Mama's arranged for a taxi to pick me up from the station. You?"

"Eight, my aunt and uncle bought the ticket without telling me, otherwise you know I would've gone with you." Sango sounded like she was rolling her eyes. "I'll meet you at the bullet station and we can go back to the dorms together?"

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, let's do that."

"Great! Okay, I'll let you go; there're only a few more hours before I have to leave. See you soon, Kagome."

Kagome dropped the phone from her shoulder and tossed it onto her bed. Her mind was wandering; her thoughts filled with all the new things she would do and discover in Tokyo. She had never left the four corners of her hometown; being accepted as a scholarship student to Shuto University was her biggest dream come true. Not only would she not financially burden her mother, but she would be able to receive the education she needed to get one step closer to being a renowned archivist.

"And last but not least…" Kagome picked up a framed photo of her and her late father. She pressed her lips against the glass before placing it gently under a layer of clothes in her suitcase. Zipping it shut, Kagome pulled her bedroom door open and hollered for her brother.

"Souta! Suitcase is ready!"

"Coming Onee-chan!"

Turning around, Kagome smiled contentedly at her childhood bedroom. It would be weird waking up in a new room every day, but she knew she couldn't hold onto childhood nostalgia forever. Just as her father, a respected historian in the historical community, had left his footprint in the field, Kagome was intending to do the same.

* * *

As promised, Sango Watanabe, Kagome's best friend from her earliest memory, was awaiting Kagome's arrival at the bullet train station. The platform was rather busy, but given that students from across the country –heck, across the _world_ even– were pouring in, it wasn't unusual. Kagome grinned and waved at Sango as she left the station, luggage in tow. Unable to contain herself, Sango squealed and ran up to Kagome, pulling her in to a tight hug.

"I checked the rooming list! First years _are_ put together and guess who gets to room together!"

Kagome couldn't stop herself from grinning goofily. "Us?!"

"And two other girls, but yes! Us!"

Simultaneously, both girls squealed while hugging each other. Their excitement was contagious, each of them feeding off of the other's aura. Deciding it was time to clamber into their awaiting taxi, both girls excitedly buckled in and started discussing all the things they would do together, now that they were roommates.

The scenery whizzed past them; Kagome was staring out her window while listening to Sango talk about Shuto University.

"So, I discovered that university isn't that different from secondary school…"

That statement caught Kagome by surprise. She looked away from the window to raise both eyebrows at her friend. "Eh?"

Sango nodded, chewing on her left thumb. "Yeah… apparently there are school forums, student run beauty contests… and a campus king!"

Kagome was very amused. _I guess you can't expect us to grow up over two months of summer… _"And what did you learn about our campus?"

That was all Kagome had to say. Sango was the one that loved to keep up with social trends and gossip. It wasn't so much that Sango was a gossip _monger_, she was simply a person who liked to be in the know and hated being blindsided; if it was something that was within her control, Sango Watanabe was going to control it.

"What was _easy_ to find out was who the campus princess and king are. Though, they aren't dating which is _typically_ unusual but…" Sango left her statement hanging with a shrug. Kagome was speechless; Sango's level of enthusiasm was surprising even her. "Hiromi Kikyo – the princess– is a fashion design student…! Hey!" Sango's eyes widened. "She's in the arts department, like you!"

"And…?"

Sango shrugged without enthusiasm. "And nothing, just an observation. She's in her second year but apparently she's made a huge impression on the students." Kagome eyed Sango warily as she tapped her chin in deep thought. "The only reason she's a princess is because the king hasn't taken her as his girlfriend… odd, isn't it normal for the king to date the prettiest girl in school?"

"God, how _old_ are you?! Aren't we supposed to be in university?"

It didn't surprise Kagome that Sango looked incredibly offended. Laughing, Kagome leaned over and side hugged her best friend. "Please don't ever change. You keep me so entertained, you have no idea."

"Yeah, yeah." Sango wrestled Kagome off of her. "When you're lost and confused because you don't know who is who, don't come crying to me." Playfully, Sango harrumphed and didn't look at Kagome. "There's supposed to be a kick-off soccer game in the coming days; the best players from the junior and senior classes versus the best players from the freshmen and sophomore classes. The king'll be there." Sango wiggled her eyebrows, as if to imply that Kagome will have no idea who he was because she didn't participate in gossiping with Sango.

To that, Kagome rolled her eyes. "Good to know. How are they determining who the best freshmen players are?"

"Beats me."

"You know _just_ about everything else, but not how they're measuring the capabilities of the freshmen soccer team?! You truly _do_ spew out nonsense."

"Oh, shut up." Sango shoved Kagome. "I try to find out _relevant_ gossip."

"Riiiight." Kagome was being sarcastic, and Sango caught every bit of it. Laughing, Sango wrapped her arm around Kagome's neck and pulled her in for a quick hug.

"Lighten up. You're always so serious—I hope our roommates can help me help _you_ find your lost sense of humour."

"Oh, the humour is there," Kagome winked at Sango. "The humour-well is a little dry so you can say that it's… a dry sense of humour?"

"Oh my god that was _so_ bad, please don't _ever_ do that again." Sango groaned, putting her hands over her ears. "My head is hurting, that joke was _that_ bad."

Kagome laughed while shaking her head. Looking out the window, Kagome watched the crescent moon come in and out of view with every streetlight that passed. _Tokyo…_ The excitement was truly beginning to bubble in the pit of her stomach. She felt like she really made it. Yes, it was only her first day in Tokyo and she hadn't started classes yet _but_ she did it! She received a full-ride scholarship to Shuto University and was well on her way to becoming an archivist. Kagome's hope was to work at the many cultural museums in Japan before exploring other regions.

_Who knows where life'll take me… but this is the start of the journey…_

* * *

The campus was abuzz the morning after Kagome's arrival. Clubs were advertising their services and the dorm supervisors were introducing themselves to their resident students. Kagome and Sango, along with their newfound friends and roommates, Rin and Ayame, walked in tandem through the campus courtyard. Senior year photography students were snapping pictures from every angle, while the dance and drama students were putting on a show in honour of the upcoming year.

Kagome's eyes flickered to a small table set up with an array of books. Interest piqued, she weaved her way through the crowds to arrive at the booth; her roommates were able to stay close on her heels. Two students, both looking exactly identical with the exception of an orange and green streak in their hair, looked at Kagome in surprise. The male with the orange streak stood up, the excitement evident on his face.

"Hello!" He bowed. "Are you interested in book restoration?"

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "Book restoration?"

He seemed a little unsure, looking back at his twin for support. The boy with the green streak got up, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Yeah," he took over from his brother. "Book restoration. We work in collaboration with the history and archeologist students, and the campus library. Spots are limited…"

Kagome bit her lip, trying not to laugh. Book restoration wasn't something everybody was lining up to do, but the twins' enthusiasm was admirable. Crossing her arms, Kagome looked at Mr. Green-Streak to Mr. Orange-Streak. Sango peeked her head over Kagome's shoulder and grinned.

"This is totally up your alley, Kagome. Sign up!"

"… food!"

Sango and Kagome both turned around to see Rin run for a food stand. Ayame groaned, looking apologetically at her new roommates.

"Let me keep an eye on her. We'll meet up with you?"

Sango nodded as Kagome turned back around to the twins. "Sign me up!"

"… _Actually_?!" Green-streak said, incredulously. Orange-streak shoved him before handing out a sheet of paper to Kagome.

"Thank you…"

"Higurashi Kagome." Kagome bowed, introducing herself. The twins straightened their backs and returned the gesture, along with an introduction.

"Horai Roku." Green-streak introduced himself first.

"Horai Dai." Orange-streak barely let Roku finish when he began his own introduction. Kagome wrote her name, e-mail address, and mobile number on the registration form while Roku and Dai watched in awe. Sango was examining the area, her back pressed against Kagome's, trying to find a booth that would pique her interest.

"Kagome," Sango tilted her head to the left. "Let's check out archery?"

"But you don't know how—"

"For you."

Kagome handed Dai the sheet back with a smile before turning to her friend. "That's not a bad idea…"

Sango's hand encircled Kagome's wrist and she began tugging her best friend to the archery table. Dai and Roku watched the two retreating girls before looking at each other, shrugging simultaneously to indicate they had _no_ idea what just happened. With an unceremonious plop, the twins sat back down and people-watched, hoping another person would come and join their small group of… _three_ members.

* * *

"And what're you going to join?" Kagome asked Sango as they both sat underneath a lush tree, hiding as much as they could from the sweltering sun. Kagome had quickly signed up for the archery team as well, seeing as how it was a passion of hers since she was a little girl.

Sango let out a resigned sigh. "I have no ide—"

"_Ō-sama_!"

Kagome and Sango both looked to their left, Kagome leaning forward slightly to get a better view of what all the commotion was. The revving of a motorcycle reached Kagome's ears before she could see the rider. Clad, in all black, was—

"The king?" Sango whispered, looking back at a shrugging Kagome.

"This is literally my first day on campus, Sango. Why're you asking me?"

Sango rolled her eyes. "At least pretend to share my excitement…"

Kagome winked. "Let's keep this between you and me but… I **am** kind of excited to see what this 'king' looks like."

"I knew there was a fertile –_virile_?– woman in there somewhere."

Kagome shoved Sango's shoulder, both girls giggling.

_"Ō-sama!"_

The screeching only became louder. Kagome and Sango stood up, Kagome biting into the pork bun she picked up from a stall earlier. Sango squint her eyes and held her hand up to shield her face from the sun. Kagome, while intrigued by this supposed _ō-sama_, didn't want to put so much effort in straining to catch a glimpse. He'll cross my path eventually…

"Yona fainted!" A distant voice called out. Kagome looked up from her pork bun in time to see _'ō-sama'_ pull his helmet off. To say that the air was knocked out of her lungs was an understatement… at that very moment his helmet came off and his waist length unnaturally silver hair came undone, Kagome knew why he was the campus king.

"_Ohhhkayyyy_." Sango breathed, glancing back at Kagome. "Are you _seeing_ this?! Is he real?!"

"I'm still trying to figure that out myself, Sango." Kagome, slowly, brought her pork bun up to take another bite. She wasn't able to decipher his features in detail, but she was able to tell that he was an extremely good-looking man. Just the way the women of the campus flocked towards him was enough for her to know that he was (for the women in the university, at least) a God amongst men.

"Well," Sango clapped her hands and grinned back at Kagome. "My appetite has been sated! Let's go find me a club."

Kagome smirked. "That's it?! Sango, I was half expecting you to go slip him your number."

"Are you crazy?! He's _Ō-sama_! University rumour has it that he's never dated anyone… _and he's a senior_! How the hell is little old me going to slip him my number? Besides," Sango put her hands on her hips and looked back at where his bike was parked. The 'king' was nowhere to be seen. "Somebody that popular can't be a good potential husband, now can he?"

"Are you still on this 'marriageable-man' business?" Kagome laughed, handing Sango her pork bun. The marriageable-ban business started _years_ ago and quickly became an ongoing joke for the friends. Glaring at her, Sango didn't hesitate in taking the outstretched bun.

"Not exactly! You know I'm here to get an education that'll help me find my forever-job. The husband thing is up for debate." Sango chewed her bottom lip at her last thought, very obviously wondering if finding a marriageable man was a priority or not.

Clearly amused, Kagome shook her head and looped her hand through Sango's. "Well then, Miss Education-And-Job-Above-All… let's find you an extracurricular group. You're in kinesiology… what about something—"

"I'll stop you right there, Higurashi!" Sango held her hand up to silence Kagome. "Kinesiology is my passion, my dream, but Gods I don't want to do it every day. Find me something that's not related to science."

"Religion?"

"You go for the polar-freaking-opposite." Sango rolled her eyes. "What about running?"

"Yeah, you definitely can run." Kagome rolled her eyes, causing Sango to glare at her. "Fine, fine, let's go sign you up for running."

"You are the least supportive friend I have."

Kagome winked at her while tugging her in the direction of where the track and field station was set up.

"Sango, I'm the _only_ friend you have right now."

"False. Rin and Ayame have bonded with me."

"I'm sure, but as your designated best friend, I have the right to be as _least_ supportive as possible when I deem necessary."

"Literally makes no sense, but I'll give it to you."

The girls laughed, their inside jokes cracking them up. Arm-in-arm, they approached the track and field station to sign Sango up. All the while, they chatted about everything and anything; the fact that they saw the campus king being nothing but a memory.

* * *

"How the hell am I late on my first day?!" Kagome screeched, racing out of her dormitory room with her backpack in hand. Out of the four girls, Kagome's first day of classes started later. The night before, she assured them that she wouldn't need a wakeup call… a decision she regret that very moment.

Slipping into her sandals, Kagome pulled the door shut behind her and began her sprint to the history building. The campus was buzzing with life, nothing _too_ busy, but enough people for Kagome to dodge and weave through. Glancing at her wristwatch, Kagome noted that she had precisely four minutes and thirty seconds to make a seven-or-so-minute dash.

_Why is this campus so large?!_

Picking up the pace, Kagome jumped over a bench and cut past a tree. Mid-run, she pulled her arm through the strap of her bag and held it against her shoulder; gripping it in her hand was beginning to hurt. Her eyes were trained on the large red building on the other side of the campus.

_And why is our dorm so far from my building?_

So many rhetorical questions, so little time.

"Watch out!" Somebody jumped out of the way. Kagome waved in the air as an apology but didn't bother turning around to take a look at who it was. It didn't matter, anyway. What mattered was starting off with a terrible first impression on her first year _History of Archeology _professor.

_Oh please, oh please, oh please!_ Kagome sent a silent prayer up to whichever God was listening. Another glance at her wristwatch showed her she had less than a minute to make it to class… a feat that was impossible. Tearing her gaze away from her wristwatch, Kagome moved to look up to see how far the building was when she collided with something cold, hard, and metal.

"Hey!"

Kagome stumbled and fell back, her torso shooting with pain. _And now I'm officially late…_ tears welled up in her eyes, more for the fact that she was late and not because she ran into something rather painful. Never, in her entire existence, was she ever late for class… and there she was, first day of university, _late_.

"Are you okay?"

_My butt… _Kagome nodded, despite the different pain points in her body. She didn't want the person – _or thing, I didn't run in to anything human_ – to worry about her irrelevant pain. Maybe if she was quick enough, she'd be able to sneak in while the professor gave their first-day-of-class preamble?

A strong hand appeared in her line of sight, catching Kagome off guard. Groaning, Kagome brought her hand up and took a hold it. Warm fingers wrapped tightly around Kagome's hand; the grip of the hold tight enough for the person to tug Kagome to her feet with little effort.

"I'm so sorr—" Kagome's eyes widened, seeing a set of amused golden yellow eyes. It wasn't so much the eyes, but the hair that caught her attention.

_The so-called King!_

"Late?"

Kagome bit her lower lip and nodded, sheepishly. "Err, yeah…" It was then she noticed that she had run right in to his motorcycle. "I'm so sorry for bothering you, mister. I… er… bye!" Without sparing a glance back, Kagome ran around the motorcycle and resumed her sprint to the history building. The golden eyes stared at her running figure, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. As he prepared to ride off, his eyes caught something that lay where the girl had fallen.

_Her meal card?_

The campus king leaned forward and picked it up, reading the name that was embossed on to it: _Higurashi, Kagome_ _\- Sakura-Ai Dorm_

Turning around, he saw Kagome disappear behind a set of trees.

_Kagome, hm?_

He pocketed the card and revved the engine of his motorcycle before slowly riding off towards his assigned dorm hall.

_Interesting…_


	2. Product of the Rumour Mill

**Note:**

**Ō-sama should translate to 'king'… but Google could lead me astray :(**

* * *

_Oh dad… you must be watching over me. _Kagome's relief was tangible when she entered her classroom to see that the professor hadn't come yet. A large group of students, from both the history and archeology departments, were scattered about the room chatting amongst themselves. Given that Kagome didn't know anybody, she found an empty seat towards the middle of the room and pulled out her tablet. Bodies slowly trickled in and, when the clock struck half past, the professor scurried into the room.

_I could've taken my sweet time this morning. _Kagome thought, deadpanned. She was sure there were bruises on her torso from when she collided with the king's motorcycle, and she was most certain that she injured her rump as well. _I can't blame the professor _or_ the king… I woke up late. This is all on me._

Sighing, Kagome pulled out her tablet pen and stationed it on top of her device, getting ready to take notes. The voices quieted down as the professor introduced himself and, in no time at all, the class delved into their very first lesson of their very first class.

* * *

_Sango~  
We offered to wake you up!_

_Rin~  
I cannot believe you were late…_

_Kagome~  
The professor walked in half an hour late. I could've taken my sweet time and not trip and fall on my way to class!_

_Ayame~  
LOL! That's shitty luck, Kagome._

Kagome stared at her phone while sitting on a bench just outside of the history building. She, Sango, Rin and Ayame all formed a chat group together seeing as they were going to spend the entire year living together. Ayame broke the silence when she messaged while Kagome was in the middle of class; the conversation eventually shifting over to Kagome's terrible first-day-luck.

_Kagome~  
Thank you, Captain Obvious._

_Ayame~  
^.~_

_Kagome~  
Since I missed breakfast, I'm going to grab food._

_Sango~  
I'll meet you in the library after I'm done?_

_Kagome~  
Message me._

_Rin~  
I think I'll be done before Sango. I'll catch up with you, Kagome ^.^_

_Kagome~  
Sounds good =3_

Kagome put her phone on idle and slipped it into her bag. Shoulders sagging in defeat, Kagome hauled herself off of the bench and dusted the seat of her skirt. She tossed on whatever she saw first that morning: a navy-blue thigh-length skirt with a white polo, and white tennis shoes. It wasn't what she would consider her ideal first-day-of-class outfit, but it wasn't the worst possible thing she could've worn, either. Swinging her bag onto her shoulder, Kagome began a slow trek to the canteen building; it was just before two in the afternoon which meant that the lunch being served would still be hot, and relatively fresh.

The slow walk was paired with very keen people-watching. Kagome watched as students flew by her, running to their next class, while others sat comfortably under trees, or at the benches, talking to newfound friends and old classmates. An involuntary smile tugged at the corner of Kagome's lip. _I mean, this is pretty awesome._ _It's the first time I'm away from home… I can't wait to make the best of all of this._

With newfound excitement, Kagome began skipping to the canteen, a new pep in her step. There wasn't any use in letting her first day mishap bring her down. The professor didn't know she was late; hell, he was late himself! Kagome chewed on her bottom lip, recalling back to the incident that happened _before_ she made it to class: colliding head-on with the king.

_That isn't a **bad** thing…_ Kagome grinned. _He's cute, and I spoke to him face-to-face. That's more than what I can say for any other girl on campus. Alright, new take on life: awesome first day, and let's now get me some food!_

* * *

Kagome waited in line, eying the menu and deciding exactly what she wanted: sweet and sour pork, spring rolls, and noodles. _And a massive cup of coffee…_ her lack-of-caffeine headache was creeping up on her, and Kagome needed to inhale her coffee to ensure that it didn't evolve in to a full migraine. Peeking over the shoulder of the girl standing in front of her, Kagome saw that there were about two people in front of her. _Might as well check my phone and get my meal card out…_

Kagome rearranged her backpack so that she was wearing it in front of her. She unzipped the big pocket and pulled out her phone, checking it with her right hand while blindly searching her bag for her meal card with her left. The line moved forward and Kagome took a step, eyes trained on her phone with her left hand still searching.

_Looks like Hojo stayed in Osaka. Not surprised…_ Kagome scrolled past her ex-boyfriend's social media page as she approached the counter.

"Hello!" Kagome placed her order while putting her cell phone down, intending on using both of her hands to search for her meal card. _Where the hell is it?_ Her panic started rising… _Wait, it wasn't in my bag. I grabbed my phone and my meal card off of my nightstand before I left this morning! It was in my hand!_

Kagome gasped and shot her head up, looking directly at the eyes of the server. The server cocked an eyebrow. "Meal card, please."

"I… uh…" _I must've dropped it while running to class!_ Kagome internally groaned, rearranging her thoughts of positive-vibes-only back to 'my-day-is-utterly-shitty'. With utter indignation, Kagome shoved her phone back in her bag and was about to tell the server to cancel her order when a tall body materialized behind her, handing a meal card over the counter.

"Add another of the same thing on this."

The canteen was deadly silent. Kagome slowly looked over, her eyes wide and her breath caught. Looking down at her, unsmiling but not cold, was the _king_…

"You don't…"

He stopped her as he fished her meal card out of his pocket and passed it to her. "You dropped this earlier."

Kagome looked down at her meal card that was in his hand before looking at the meal card he passed to the server. _He paid for my meal?_

"I… uh—"

"Thank you, have a good day!" The sever passed two bags in their direction. The king grabbed it before nodding his head towards Kagome, ushering for her to follow up. As Kagome didn't take the meal card, he shoved it in his pocket as he turned to walk away. Kagome robotically followed him, her arms and legs as stiff as logs. She wasn't deaf to the whispers that began floating around the canteen… and she wasn't stupid enough to realize that she was probably going to get a lot of unnecessary attention going forward.

_'Who is she?'_

_'Why is ō-sama with her?'_

_'Did he pay for her meal?!'_

_'Who the hell does this freshman think she is?'_

Kagome stared at the back of his head, watching his silver hair perfectly cascade down his back while simultaneously gently folding over his shoulder. The king found an empty table with two chairs and nodded at her to sit down. Kagome, however, was frozen in her place.

He cocked an eyebrow, one hand clutching the two bags of food with the other pushed deep into his pocket. "Higurashi?"

Kagome's eyes snapped back to reality and locked with his eyes. He was studying her, his expression serious and his eyebrows furrowed. Again, he nodded at the table but this time he put the two bags of food down. Kagome inhaled deeply and slowly peeked at her surroundings: _everybody is watching me!_ She had all the intention in the world to run away, but the sheer aura of power that the king had prevented her from doing so. He had a commanding presence, and Kagome was finding it difficult to fight. _Moreover, I don't want to anger the wrong person. If the most prominent student in the school tells me to sit, my ass is sitting!_ With small steps, Kagome approached the chair across from the king and smoothed out her skirt from behind before taking a seat.

Gracefully, he sat down as well. He moved to grab a bag of food, pushing the other in Kagome's direction.

"Aren't you hungry?"

His voice was a chocolatey baritone, something that warmed Kagome to the core. She nodded, sheepishly, taking her food out of the bag. She really didn't want the guy to see her inhale her food, but she didn't feel like she had any other option. He was sitting _right_ there, having lunch with her and she was starving. _Whatever! He's imposing on **my **lunch time. _Kagome removed the chopsticks from the bag and separated them, preparing herself to dive into her very, _very_ late breakfast.

Movement from the king's part had Kagome look up from her food. She saw that he pulled her meal card out of his pocket once again. This time, instead of holding it out for her, he slid it across the table. "I figured you'd be grabbing a bite after class… it was unlikely you had time for breakfast at the breakneck speed you were going this morning."

Kagome's eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. _Did he just deliver a joke with zero emotion?! What is this guy…_

His eyes remained level and expression uniform. Yet, what he said was something that would've made Kagome giggle on any other occasion.

"I… yeah…" Kagome chewed on her lower lip and looked away from him. _Isn't he a senior? Why is he wasting his time with me…?_

"Thought I'd return your card to you."

"Thank you… uhh…"

Subtly, the corner of his lip tugged. "Takahashi Inuyasha."

Kagome bowed her head. "Higurashi Kagome."

"I know."

"You—_oh_…" Kagome's eyes flickered down at her meal card. It had her name and dorm room on it… of course he knew who she was! He had picked up her card. She probably dropped it when she fell after running in to his motorcycle. Speaking of which…

"I hope I didn't damage your bike?"

"It'll take a lot more than you running into the bike to damage it. Did _she_ damage _you_?"

_Well, probably. My torso's been sore since I ran in to the damn thing! I'd bet my scholarship I have a bruise._ Was what she wanted to say, but she wasn't going to. Kagome, throughout her whole schooling life, was known well enough by her cohort to smile at students walking through the hallways in secondary school. She never wanted to partake in the beauty contests, and she definitely didn't want to associate herself with 'school royalty'. She was the class president for her final year, but that wasn't what she would define as _royalty_. It was unnerving to sit across the big-man-on-campus on her first day of university. All eyes were on her, and Kagome could feel the sneering, hateful glares that were burning holes into her back.

It was female-nature to hate on those that did, or have, things that one could not. Kagome, without trying, was having lunch with the king. _The king!_ All the other females that were present in the canteen were, quite possibly, planning on ways to maim Kagome.

If not kill.

But that's an exaggeration… _right?_

"I'm not broken…" Kagome finally muttered. "She could've done a lot worse."

"If you were going any faster, I'm sure she would have."

Kagome gave him a half shrug. "Then I'm glad I wasn't using my full running prowess."

He stared in amusement, but Kagome didn't return the look. Instead, she was busy shoving her pork down her throat. The smell was making her head spin and she knew that if she didn't eat anything at that very moment, she'd probably pass out and _then_ the school would definitely have something to talk about. Nobody would know she fainted because of the lack of blood sugar; they'd probably assume it was because of her close proximity to the king.

_And while a situation like **this** doesn't faze me_ as much,_ nobody else would know that. He's just a super popular human being… who must've had a few extra moments spent on him when he was being created. _Kagome snuck a peek at him through her eyelashes. She saw him gracefully chew on his pork. While she _wanted_ to feel guilty for eating like a slob, she couldn't help herself. She was starving, and there was a hot meal in front of her.

"What are you studying?"

Kagome looked up at him, her mouth full of pork. Chewing with difficulty, Kagome swallowed and dabbed her mouth with a napkin before answering him. "History. And yourself?"

"Architecture. What do you plan on doing with history?"

"I'm striving to become a renowned archivist." Kagome smiled. "It's not a very popular field, but that's what makes it so exciting."

"Honourable," Inuyasha tipped his head up. "And very astute."

"Thank you," Kagome bowed her head slightly. "And might I ask what you plan on doing with architecture?"

Inuyasha uncrossed his arms and placed his elbows on the table, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. "I plan on obtaining all the biggest Japanese projects before going international."

"Honourable," Kagome's eyes twinkled. She hoped she caught him off guard; no matter how star struck she was, her witty humour was still an integral part of her DNA. "And very astute."

"Thank you kindly." Inuyasha bowed his head in thanks. "I do hope you set your alarm clock going forward?"

Blushing, Kagome looked away from him. "Yeah… I don't know what happened this morning."

"That's fine." Inuyasha leaned back in his seat. "People run late, Higurashi. It's quite common."

"Ahh… you can just call me Kagome." She never liked being called _Higurashi_. It seemed too formal, and she was quite possibly the least formal person she knew. Inuyasha tilted his head to the left before leaning forward, just slightly.

"Then please, call me Inuyasha. None of this _ō-sama_ business."

Inuyasha winked, catching Kagome completely off guard. _Did he… does he… what the!_ Kagome gawked at Inuyasha as he pushed himself off of his chair. He picked up his empty container of food and nodded at Kagome, indicating his leave. Jaw slack and speechless, Kagome watched Inuyasha as he left the canteen. He was probably aware of all the attention that he drew. He was clearly not _trying _to get the attention; from what Kagome understood, he was actually quite subtle. _But there're people who naturally have a commanding aura, and he just so happens to be one of them._

Kagome looked away from his walking figure to come face to face with hundreds of girls' angry glares. _Huh?!_ Her presumption was correct: she would be on the receiving end of a lot of unnecessary attention. _Shit…_ deciding that she didn't really want to finish her food, Kagome packed it up and made a beeline for the exit. She could feel the death glares being shot in her direction.

_None of them would ever believe me if I said I 'accidentally' ran in to him. _Kagome was getting exhausted from jumping in between trying to figure out which mood was appropriate for the day: 'I'm having a good day' or 'my day is totally shitty'.

Kagome was oblivious to the narrow brown eyes that watched her every step.

* * *

True to her words, Rin caught up with Kagome and they both decided to leave campus to grab a coffee. It was late in to the afternoon; Ayame and Sango were still in their respective classes, which left Rin and Kagome to bond. At some point during the day, Kagome decided she wasn't going to tell her roommates about her little encounter with the king. It was bad enough that they fangirled over the mere fact that he _existed_, she didn't want to know how they'd act if they found out she sat and ate _lunch_ with the man.

_Some things are better left unsaid. Besides, it was probably just segueing into giving me back my meal card…_ Yes, that's what it had to have been. He didn't wait too long after giving her the meal card to leave, so it must not have meant anything to him. _Right. That's what it is. _The tightness in Kagome's chest loosened as she talked herself off of the edge.

"How is your first day so far?" Rin asked as they both settled into their seats in the outdoor patio of the café. Kagome glanced at the waitress coming in the direction while answering Rin.

"Apart from being late? So far so good… you?"

"It's different… even though there's less structure in the day than secondary school, I feel like my day _has_ more structure than it ever did."

"I think that's less to do with the educational establishment and more to do with us feeling like there is more pressure in doing things the right way because we're technically adults." Kagome reasoned. Rin considered what she said and nodded slowly.

"That makes sense…"

The girls gave the waitress their order as soon as she arrived, resuming their conversation in no time at all.

"So… err… have you seen the king?" Kagome asked. _It's not an unusual question, is it? He is the campus king, so people would naturally talk about him…_

The sombre look on Rin's face meant that Kagome was not found out. "I haven't. Sango said you two caught a glimpse of him yesterday?"

"Yeah, at the welcoming fair."

"Lucky." Rin sighed. "I heard that there, usually, is a new king every year, but he's the only one in Shuto history that's held the title for four straight years—he'll graduate a king!"

"I think the real question here is who is going to compete with a reputation like that?"

Rin nodded, very excited with the path that their conversation was taking. "Right? He's leaving some kind of legacy…" Rin tapped her chin in thought. "I wonder what'll happen _after _he leaves. Will he be forgotten? Or will people remember him as the king that reigned for four years?"

Kagome's jaw was slack as she stared at Rin who wore a faraway expression. "Is it too early in our friendship for me to make fun of you?"

Rin blinked, breaking out of her reverie and turned to glare at Kagome. "You brought him up!"

"Yes, but I'm not day dreaming about him!"

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Kagome shrugged with one shoulder and smiled at the waitress who brought their warm drinkers over. "Thank you," Kagome took a sip of her coffee first before she answered Rin. "You don't. You have to trust me, as your roommate."

"You sound like a lying scumbag to me." Rin winked at Kagome. At the accusation, Kagome clutched a hand over her chest and feigned sadness.

"Ahh, you've caught me red handed! I knew it wouldn't be long until my scumbag nature was discovered."

"Oh, quit it!" Rin tossed a crumpled napkin at her new friend. "You're really melodramatic, you know that, right?"

"Unfortunately, Sango's been telling me that once a day every day for the past… decade and a half?"

Rin rolled her eyes. "You can say fifteen years, Kagome."

"Decade and a half just sounds longer." Kagome giggled.

The two girls finished their drinks and talked about everything that wasn't 'the king'. Kagome got to know a little bit about Rin's family, and likewise in return. It made Kagome very happy knowing that she was making such good friends in the starting weeks of her university career. She didn't want to contemplate the thought of not having a good group of friends for four years; somehow, she knew that the vibe she and her roommates had would stand the test of time.

Rin glanced at her wrist watch and Kagome checked her phone to see if Sango or Ayame messaged them. _Nothing_. Kagome looked up in time to see Rin shove her used napkin into her coffee cup. Rin smiled at Kagome as she stood up: "Ready?"

Kagome nodded and got up as well, retrieving her backpack from the armrest of her chair. "What're your plans now? Headed back?"

Rin shook her head. "Not at all… all the first years in my department are getting together for a meet-and-green tonight. I'm going to be heading there now. You?"

Kagome shrugged. "Historians aren't that fun." Kagome giggled at Rin's exaggerated eye roll. "I was going to head back and look through what the school forum has to offer. Can't rely on Sango for my daily gossip, now can I?"

"Kagome, I've known the girl for half a minute and even _I_ can tell you that yes, yes you can rely on Sango for daily gossip."

Kagome laughed and playfully shoved Rin. "She's not _that_—" Kagome paused at the look Rin shot her and broke into a goofy grin. "I backtrack, she _is_ that bad."

The girls bade each other farewell and walked off in opposite directions. Kagome looked over her shoulder to see Rin cut a corner. _That was fun!_ Shaking her head, Kagome brought her cell phone up to check the time and see if any messages from her brother or mother came through. Her notification bar indicated that her mother did email her just a few moments ago.

_Mama, really? We showed you how to text!_ Swiping up, Kagome unlocked her phone and began to read the opening sentence of her mother's email.

_Kagome! I miss you so much, sweetheart. I would've texted you but—_

"Oomph!" Kagome stumbled back but a hand clasped around her wrist, keeping her steady. Her eyes shot to the hand encircling her wrist to the golden eyes she was slowly becoming familiar with.

_Are you kidding me_?

"We have got to stop bumping in to each other like this, Kagome."

Before her was Takahashi Inuyasha, campus king, mounted on his motorcycle as if he was some sort of gift from God. Kagome's eyes flickered to the pedestrian light and saw that it was glowing red; she was going to cross the street and it wasn't even her right of way! What were the odds of Inuyasha being there?

"Are you following me?" Kagome raised both eyebrows and Inuyasha mirrored the expression.

"Not at all." He sounded surprised at her accusation and Kagome felt bad for making him sound like a stalker.

_What the hell is wrong with you, Higurashi?_

"Headed back to campus?" Inuyasha revved his engine and brought his left hand up to signal the cars behind him to go around him. Kagome nodded, clutching her phone tightly in her hand.

"Yep."

He nodded once. "Do… you need a ride?"

Kagome was taken aback. _Did he just?! No! No, no… this is not happening._

"That's very nice of you, Inuyasha, but it's alright!" Kagome took a step back, laughing sheepishly. He studied her for a brief moment before bringing a gloved hand to the visor of his helmet.

"Are you sure?"

Not trusting herself, Kagome nodded. Without a second to spare, he pulled the visor down and sped off on his motorcycle. Letting out a breath of relief, Kagome clutched her chest and did a few quick inhales and exhales. _I must've done something to make somebody mad somewhere. Why do I keep running in to him? _Giving her face two quick pats, Kagome straightened her back and stared at the pedestrian cross light, counting down until it turned green. When she received her go-ahead, Kagome began to cross, her eyes focused on the road ahead.

Her phone buzzed in her hand by the time Kagome fully finished crossing. Glancing down, she saw it was her best friend and promptly answered.

"Done class?"

Sango sounded shocked: "You didn't tell me you ate lunch with the king!"

Kagome's blood ran cold. _The rumours begin…_


	3. Campus King

**Note:**

**Why does anybody in any book, movie, story ever written thinks it's a good idea to hide shit from the best friend? I wrote the damn scene and I'll never know!**

* * *

Kagome was speechless. Her legs stopped working and her eyes glazed over, blankness taking over. She did not know what to say, do, or what to even feel. In hindsight, it was probably the most logical thing to happen; Sango finding out about Inuyasha and Kagome having lunch together because, without a shadow of a doubt, it probably went up on the forum as they were _still_ having lunch. But Kagome, under no circumstance, actually believed that Sango would find out _that _soon.

"How do you…"

"You're all over the forum!" _As predicted. _The squeal in Sango's voice was Kagome's only indication that she was anything but mad. Legs feeling as heavy as lead, Kagome made the move to walk knowing that she couldn't stand frozen in spot all evening.

"Huh? Wait… what're you doing on the forum?!"

Sango sounded sheepish, even through the phone. "I was scrolling through it on my phone while in class… there're pictures of you and the king sitting together at lunch! Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I was going to," _ugh, I am such a terrible liar! _"When I saw you. I bumped in to him on my run to class this morning and dropped my meal card. He was just being a Good Samaritan and found me to give it back."

"Accepted, but how did the whole you two sitting down together and eating thing happen!?"

Kagome decided walking and talking to Sango was _not_ a practical decision and sat on an empty bench along the path. "I don't know? At one moment I'm ordering, and the next thing I know he's paying for my meal and—"

"HE PAID FOR YOU?!"

Kagome jerked the phone away from her ear and gawked at it, not believing herself that her best friend had that kind of power in her lungs. When Kagome was certain Sango was done squealing, she put the phone back against her ear. "Are you done?"

"For now. Continue."

"Yes, he did pay, but that was probably because my dumbass self was too dumbstruck." Kagome pushed herself deeper in to a slouching position. "When he offered to give me back my card, I just stared at his face…"

"I don't blame you!"

"Sango!"

Her best friend's melodic laugh greeted her. Kagome rolled her eyes and glared at the horizon, her mind half zoning out of her conversation with Sango and shifting more towards a _what the hell am I going to do?!_ thought process.

_It's on the forum! What kind of school has a gossip forum!? _If somebody told Kagome prior to her attending Shuto University that the school was notorious for gossiping and putting regular good-looking human beings on unreachable pedestals, Kagome would never have believed them. But, quite literally, after one day of attending classes Kagome was a believer. Not that she was any _different_, per se. Kagome found herself guilty of admiring good looking classmates from afar – the notorious _ō-sama _being one of them.

"Hello! Kagome?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Kagome mumbled in to the phone as she pushed herself up off of the bench. "What does the forum say?"

"They're speculating who you are. Nobody knows your name or where you came from… you're just known as _the girl ō-sama had lunch with_."

"Sango… tell me the truth." Kagome began a brisk walk back to her dormitory while talking to Sango. "Are crazy fangirls going to try and threaten me?"

"I mean, this _is_ university so I'd hope not." Sango sounded a bit unsure, causing Kagome to roll her eyes. "But I also thought university would be a tad bit more mature than what I'm experiencing so really, friend, I haven't the slightest clue."

"You do wonders for my anxiety." Kagome snorted. "Where are you right now?"

"Just headed out of the building. You?"

"Finished having coffee with Rin… going back to the dorm. Meet you there?"

"Sounds good!"

The girls hung up and Kagome shoved her phone back in her pocket. The email from her mom could wait; Kagome refused to entertain the possibility that she'd bump in to Inuyasha again when she least expected it. She came to university to _learn_, not to be caught up in sorority scandals because the campus hottie was being nice to her. She quite enjoyed maintaining a low profile, but her little stint with Inuyasha completely tossed caution to the wind.

_Maybe I can do damage control if nobody ever sees me with him ever again!_

With renewed confidence, Kagome picked up her pace.

* * *

It was a story that Kagome had to tell a total of four times: once to Sango, twice to Ayame and once to Rin. Ayame was in utter disbelief and zoned out midway through the conversation because her imagination began running wild. When Kagome concluded the events of what happened, Ayame had requested (rather kindly, actually), that Kagome tell it again.

"That is insane." Rin whistled. "All that on your first day?"

"And you're the talk of the town!" Ayame clapped her hands together. "Everybody wants to know who you are and what your secret is!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No psycho ex-girlfriend's coming after me?"

Ayame shook her head. "Doubt it. Rumour has it he's been single for all four years."

Sango had her chin perched on the palm of her left hand and stared at Kagome. "Only _you_, the one person who probably does not care about popularity—"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Kagome held a finger up. "I don't care about popularity, yes, but I definitely do care about the sexiest man on campus talking to me. I am a woman, after all."

"Amen." Ayame sighed, wistfully. "His brother used to go here…"

"Really?" Sango raised both eyebrows. "How do you know?"

"A few of my cousins came here before I started. Inuyasha was in his first year while his brother, who was the king back then, was in fourth year." Ayame chewed on her lower lip. "Apparently, not long after Inuyasha started Sesshomaru was dethroned. Nobody has stolen the title from Inuyasha, yet."

"Is it like an _official_ thing?" Kagome asked.

"No," Sango glanced at her best friend, "it isn't _official_, but there is like a _ranking _system on the forum and he's been top of the hot list for the last four years."

"This is so ridiculous. The school _ranks_ its classmates?!" Kagome was appalled, and a tad bit guilty, as she, too, eyed Inuyasha hungrily when she first saw him. But, unlike her fellow classmates, Kagome was confident in the fact that while she may have admired him from afar, she wasn't a blubbering mess in front of him. He was akin to a campus celebrity—just as somebody would be awestruck in the presence of an actor, for instance Toma Ikuta, the students were awestruck in the presence of Inuyasha.

"Well it's not just looks." Sango sat back in her chair. "Apparently he's really smart."

Ayame nodded. "Honours, three years in a row, and probably trending to be honours this year as well."

"Smart _and_ sexy," Rin sighed dreamily. "We are lucky to be in the same campus as him."

"This _is_ an elite university, you know." Kagome giggled. "He _has_ to be smart to go here… we _all_ have to be smart."

"Leave it to Higurashi to bring us back down to reality. Thanks, girl." Rin playfully shoved her newfound friend. "Alright, now that we're done discussing trivial matters, let's get to _actually_ know each other! I'm told that in subsequent years we can pick roommates and… I mean, wouldn't it be cool if we were roommates for four years in a row?!"

"That _would_ be pretty awesome." Ayame nodded.

"My program building is on the opposite side of the campus from here." Kagome rolled her eyes which earned her a playful sucker punch from Ayame. "So, trying to say this nicely but… I'm ditching you guys for a dorm hall closer to my department."

"Or, leave ten minutes earlier and you'll make it on time." Rin rolled her eyes.

"Or!" Sango snapped. "Leave a little late and bump into Inu—_oomph_!" Kagome smothered Sango while the other two girls chortled. This was the kind of friendship Kagome was hoping for in university. It was one thing that she was able to be with her best friend, but it was another altogether that she found two beautiful souls like Ayame and Rin. Their personalities meshed with Sango flawlessly and Kagome could foresee their friendships blossoming into something more permanent and lasting a lifetime.

"_Off_ the topic of the campus king," Rin grinned, "I'm from a small fishing village, Noto. This is my first time in a big city… and I'm working towards my bachelors of social work."

Ayame piped up immediately after. "I'm from Kyoto… this is my first time in Tokyo and I'm studying counselling psychotherapy."

Kagome whistled low. "That's intense. You want to be a counsellor?"

Ayame nodded. "Absolutely. I love educating and helping people… but being a teacher is _not_ up my alley."

Her visible shudder made the other girls laugh. Sango and Kagome introduced themselves and went in to a little history of their background of growing up together. A few fun stories later, the four girls made moves to prepare themselves for bed. The next day would be the second day of classes, which meant the _first_ day of serious lessons. Kagome, in particular, did _not_ want a repeat of what happened that morning—not the late part, but the running in to Inuyasha part.

_I don't need a reason to become a household name on campus._

* * *

Kagome was not immune to the stares she got in the corridors the following day. She knew it was because her picture was posted on the forum and her fellow classmates were in awe of her walking through the campus hallways like a commoner… _as if I'm some form of royalty because the guy gave me back my meal card._ Kagome scoffed and ignored all of them. They weren't being _mean_, they were just being nosy, which annoyed Kagome even more.

"Why don't they just mind their own business…" Kagome muttered while waiting for the elevator.

"I ask myself that everyday."

Kagome whirled around to see the very person she didn't want to want to see.

"Inuyasha!"

He raised an eyebrow at her and nodded his head at the opening elevator door. Kagome scurried in with Inuyasha close behind her. Before anybody else could rush in to the compartment, Inuyasha jammed the _close door_ button, ensuring that he and Kagome were the only two boarded.

"Why—"

"Anybody giving you trouble?"

Kagome was taken aback. She wasn't expecting him to check up on her… "Not really, just a lot of people staring."

He nodded and watched the numbers of the elevator floors change. "That's not uncommon. My apologies for bringing this on you. My intention was to only return your meal card."

_Then why did you have lunch with me?!_

"But I was hungry and we were together." He shrugged as a method to end his thought. Kagome simply gawked at him, completely believing that he did not have any ill intention. He seemed like an actual genuinely good person.

_Ugh, he gets cooler by second._ Kagome internally groaned. _Not only is he allegedly smart and super attractive, but he's a nice guy! My resolve is only _so_ strong…_

The elevator door dinged open and those who were about to enter stopped dead in their tracks, their jaws dropping. Inuyasha held his hand out and ushered Kagome to leave the compartment as he followed close behind. All those who were going to enter the elevator simply turned their heads and continued to stare; the click of a few cell phones reached Kagome's ears and she knew, within seconds, her face would be on the forum once again.

Inuyasha held the door open for Kagome and she thanked him as she walked past him to exit the building.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome turned her head to see a tall, dark haired individual lightly jogging towards them. Subconsciously, she looked back at Inuyasha in time to see him raise his hand and give a single wave to the guy approaching.

"Lin Miroku," Inuyasha offered, "my roommate."

"Hey!" Miroku approached the two, not even breaking a sweat. "Kouga and Bankotsu are headed to the pool house later. You coming? And who is this…?" Miroku bowed, in an attempt to seem gallant. "I haven't seen our boy Inuyasha in the presence of a beautiful woman in ever—"

"Shut up." Inuyasha muttered, dryly. "Nobody asked you anything."

Kagome couldn't help but giggle. "Higurashi Kagome." Kagome introduced herself.

"Ahhh, meal card girl!" Miroku took a step back to grin at Kagome. She blushed sheepishly and idly looked over at Inuyasha who simply rolled his eyes.

"Yes, meal card girl has a name, you idiot." Inuyasha said, exasperated. "Tell them I'll meet you guys there."

"Bring Higurashi!" Miroku winked at Kagome. Her eyes widened and she, immediately, shook her head.

"No, no, it's okay! I have… things to do."

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and then back at Miroku. "You go ahead, let me walk Kagome to her dorm and I'll catch up with you boys tonight?"

Miroku nodded, tipped his head at Kagome while winking, before entering the building she and Inuyasha had just exited from. Kagome whirled towards Inuyasha and lifted her hands up, holding them up in front of her. "You don't have to walk me anywhere!" Her heart was pounding in her chest. The rumours were justified for Kagome when she heard Miroku say that he had never seen Inuyasha with a woman. So, it was only natural that she felt a little overwhelmed with the whole situation.

"I insist." Inuyasha tilted his head slightly to the left. "Consider it my olive branch for causing you unnecessary attention?"

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "So, what makes you think walking me to my dorm, in public, is going to help the situation?"

"I don't." Inuyasha smirked. "My intention is to try and convince you to join me and my friends at the pool house tonight."

Kagome's jaw went slack. She gawked at Inuyasha, her mind going blank. _What is happening?_ She had zero intention of being caught up in his world because she didn't think it was something that was _possible_. But there she was, standing in front of the guy, being told that he was going to try and get her to _join _him and his friends for a game of pool. _This doesn't happen in real life! I have to be dreaming… he's the freaking campus celebrity and I'm just little old me!_

"I… uh…"

"Nobody knows us at the pool house." Inuyasha stated. "It's a hole in the wall, but I'd like it if you joined me… but I completely understand if you don't."

"Uhh…"

Inuyasha chuckled. "Think about it. Come, let me walk you to your dorm. Let me know later tonight if you want to come?"

"… how?" _Oh my god is he going to give me his num—_

"Take down my number."

_WHAT IS HAPPENING?!_

While on the outside Kagome kept a cool composure, on the inside she was about to explode. Everything that was happening was nothing that she expected. She did some quiet breathing exercises as she and Inuyasha began walking in tandem towards Sakura-Ai building. Heads turned and people stopped dead in their tracks to gawk at the duo walking.

"This is… unsettling." Kagome murmured under her breath which drew a deep chuckle to resonate from within Inuyasha's chest.

"I'm sorry. But you're caught up now, unfortunately."

"How do you deal with this every day?"

"Three years… you get used to it."

Kagome bit her lower lip, wondering what her limit was in asking him questions. Was it okay to ask him why he maintained the title for so long? Would that be too personal? _Is it okay to ask him about his brother… and how he dethroned him?_ _Is that even relevant?_

"And here we are." Inuyasha announced as he manoeuvred around the bike racks in front of Kagome's dorm hall. "Are you done classes for the day."

Kagome shook her head. "No, I have a lecture on western history in about an hour."

"Hmm," Inuyasha exhaled. "I never really got history. Not my forte."

Kagome smiled. "It's an acquired taste. I grew up on a shrine so I've always had a soft spot in my heart for history…"

"A shrine?"

Kagome nodded. "Higurashi Shrine in Osaka… home of the Goshinboku where the fabled half-demon of lore was pinned to by his priestess lover."

"I've heard this one. A girl that could defy time, travels through to the past by jumping into a well and worked with the half-demon to save Japan?" Kagome watched Inuyasha with absolute awe. Not many people knew of the dog-demon and his love story that spanned through many generations.

"Yeah." She nodded, excited. "Legend has it that once they saved Japan, she stayed in the past to be with him."

"I guess love knows no bounds?"

"Or era."

Kagome and Inuyasha simply stared at each other for a few moments before he glanced away from her, looking at the gaggle of girls that watched them from afar. "I should take my leave before more of your face shows up on the campus forum."

"Not like it'll make a difference now." Kagome snorted, causing Inuyasha's lip to twitch in amusement.

"Give me a shout tonight? We usually head out around eight." Inuyasha nodded at her before walking off towards where they came from, his hands shoved in his pockets. Kagome watched him, her phone gripped tightly in her left hand. He gave her his number and asked that she give him a call later…

_Hiding the fact we had lunch didn't do me too well. I need the girls **right now**._ Kagome pulled her phone out in front of her and unlocked it as quick as she could.

_Kagome~  
Emergency situation!_

Within a heartbeat, the girls replied to her.

_Rin~  
I'm in our dorm, where are you?_

_Ayame~  
I'm in the library!_

_Sango~  
I'm ready to ditch class…_

Kagome inhaled deeply and typed out the four words that would change the course of her university career.

_Kagome~  
Inuyasha asked me out._

* * *

**Oh, dear me...**


	4. Exercising Common Sense

Rin couldn't help but gawk at Kagome while they waited for Ayame to arrive. Sango stopped replying right after Kagome dropped the bomb, but Ayame strictly instructed them to _not talk about anything _until she got to the dorm. Kagome was trying to look anywhere but at Rin, but it was proving to be a difficult feat. Whenever Kagome turned to look in _any_ direction, Rin would scurry over to where she was looking to stand in front of her and gawk, jaw slack.

"Kagome…"

"I don't know!" Kagome held her hands up in defence. "I've only been in this school for _two _days!"

"Teach me your ways…"

"I don't even know my **own** ways. Teach me _my_ ways!"

The door crashed open and both girls turned, Kagome standing up to greet Ayame. Instead, she was met with a maniacal Sango, with eyes as wide as dinner plates and hair in unkempt disarray.

"How did you get here?! You're supposed to be in class!" Rin pointed an accusatory finger. Sango's eyes flickered at her and she quickly revealed her excuse to ditch class.

"Exploding diarrhea."

Rin and Kagome looked at each other and exchanged glances. Kagome shook her head and nodded at Sango's bed. "Sit while we wait for Ayame—"

"Present! Wait, Sango? Aren't you supposed to be in—"

"Exploding diarrhea." Rin filled in and Ayame looked at Sango, confused.

"You okay?"

Sango groaned. "Yes! I'm fine. Tell me about Inuyasha already!"

Kagome exhaled slowly and, one by one, looked at all of her friends. "Well, we saw each other in history building and he asked if I was doing okay…"

The three other girls watched and listened with bated breath.

"I said I was fine. By this point his roommate found us and told him the boys were going to play pool tonight, and his roommate asked if I wanted to come.

"That's his _roommate_ asking you out!" Ayame said, accusing. Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Let me finish?"

"Sorry!"

"I said no. Inuyasha told his roommate he was going to catch up with him because he wanted to walk me back to the dorms—"

"HE WALKED YOU BACK HERE?!" Rin shrieked, standing up. "Why didn't you tell me?! I would've come down and—"

Ayame yanked Rin down and glared at her. "Let her finish!"

The entire time, Sango was quiet. She was staring at Kagome, studying her features and the method in which she retold the story. Kagome looked from Rin to Sango and cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Sango shook her head. "Continue, please."

Kagome nodded once and did as her best friend requested. "He walked me here and basically said he would like it if I joined the boys later tonight for pool. I told him I wasn't too sure, so he told me to let him know later tonight."

Sango's eyes widened. "He gave you his number?!"

"…yes…"

The three girls looked at each other before tackling Kagome, all squealing with delight. Kagome laughed, amused at her roommates' antics. She was giddy at the sight of them being giddy; it was a contagious moment. Sango pulled off of Kagome first and put her hands on her hips, leaning most of her weight on her left leg, resulting in her hip to jut out.

"So, what's happening? Based on how you were telling the story, I'm sensing you want to go?"

Rin and Ayame looked over at Sango. "How can you tell?" Rin asked and Sango winked at her.

"I've been her best friend for _decades_. When she tells a story, I don't listen to it as much as I watch her. Based on _how_ she's telling the story, I can already tell what she wants to do versus what she thinks she _needs_ to do." Sango smirked at Kagome who snorted in retaliation. Ayame whistled low.

"Impressive."

"Yes, _so_ impressive, but then what?" Kagome crossed her arms. "Entertain him for one night and be the face across the campus forum for the next month? No, _year_?! And what if it doesn't work out?"

"So _what_?" Rin countered. "So, what if it doesn't work out? You'd be the first girl the king has taken out since he joined Shuto University. Haven't you ever dated? It's not deciding _beforehand _if the relationship is going to be successful or not. It's to determine the longevity of said relationship by _trying it out_."

"You sure you want to be a social worker? You should be a goddamned live coach." Kagome snorted and Rin winked at her with a cheeky grin. Sango approached her friend and nudged her shoulder with her own.

"Just go. What do you have to lose? People already know you as the girl he had lunch with…"

Kagome chewed on her lower lip. "He _did _say the pool house was a hole in the wall."

"So, what're you waiting for!" Rin picked Kagome's phone off of the table and passed it to her. "Call him!"

"Now?!"

"Duh!" Ayame leaned back in her seat and rested her legs on the table. "We want to see history go down."

Kagome groaned and mumbled a few incoherent words under her breath as she scrolled through her contacts. When she arrived at Inuyasha's name, her thumb hovered over the screen for a split second before she hit the _call_ button. Within five seconds, the phone began ringing and Kagome pressed it against her ear.

"Takahashi." His velvet voice greeted Kagome, causing her hairs to stand on end. She was _nervous_.

"It's Kagome."

"Ahh, one second." Kagome heard him shuffle around before he greeted her once again. "Sorry, I was sitting with Miroku. How are you?"

_He literally just saw him half an hour ago… what a gentleman, meeting up with his friend again. _"I'm fine. Umm… are you guys still going to the pool house?"

"That's the plan."

"I see," Kagome looked over at her friends who were all leaning forward, as if they were watching the final love confession of an irritatingly long Japanese drama. Kagome looked away before she could burst in to laughter; she did _not_ want the campus king to think she was laughing at _him_. "So, um… if you message me the address, I can meet you there?"

"You'll come?"

If Kagome didn't know any better, she'd say that he sounded a little excited. "Yeah, but I can't stay too long. Early morning class."

"Not a problem. I'll get you from your dorm lobby."

"You don't have to pick me up…"

"YES, HE DOES—AHH!" Kagome's eyes widened as she whirled around to find Ayame and Sango wrestling Rin to the ground. _Are you for real?!_ Kagome wished the world would split in half and swallow her whole…

"Your roommates are with you?"

"Unfortunately…"

Inuyasha chuckled, sounding more amused than anything else. "Well, I can't wait to meet the one who just screamed."

"I'm sure she shares the same sentiment." Kagome muttered dryly. "_Anyway_… like I was saying, you don't have to. Just send me the address…"

"It's a little way away. Do you drive?"

"Yes, but I don't have a car here with me. I live on campus… all I have is a bicycle. I can call for a taxi or something?" Kagome heard more wrestling from behind her and she knew two of the girls were keeping one at bay. If she had to take a guess, Rin wanted to scream something out but Sango was probably sitting on her chest.

"Kagome, let me please pick you up. When I say it's a way away, I'm not kidding. The taxi bill will add up for a round trip. Next time, I'll let you fend for yourself." Kagome heard the amusement in his voice and wanted to retaliate _so_ badly, but she didn't. She knew he was insisting for her own good and his intention was very likely honourable. Rather than verbally counter attack, she was stuck on two words: **next time**. _Does he intend on taking me out again?_

"Fine. But next time I pick you up on my bicycle."

"Oddly, I would really like to see that happen." The duo shared a short laugh before Inuyasha told her he'd be downstairs at seven thirty on his motorcycle. Kagome bade him farewell and hung up the call before turning around to see; indeed, Sango was sitting on Rin's chest.

"He can't wait to meet you. And he's picking me up at seven thirty." Kagome called at Rin first before tacking on the latter part for all the girls in the room. Before they could react, Kagome picked up her backpack and made a move to leave their dorm room.

"Where're you going?!" Sango called out.

"Class!" Kagome said, over her shoulder, as she jogged out of their dormitory and took the stairs down instead of the elevator. She didn't want to give her friends the chance to corner her and ask for explicit details. Before Kagome shared the contents of their conversation, she wanted to come to terms with it herself and not blush like a tomato at the mere thought of Inuyasha Takahashi taking her out _for a second time_.

"And the first time hasn't even happened yet." She whispered to herself as she pushed the doorway opened and left the comfort of the dorm building.

"KAGOME!"

Kagome's head shot up to see Rin waving at her from their cramped balcony space. "YOU ARE A GODDESS AMONGST WOMEN!"

Laughing, Kagome gave Rin a thumbs up before breaking in to a jog. _What the hell is my life?_

* * *

Kagome kept pinching herself every hour or so, wondering when she was going to wake up from her dream. She could not believe everything that had happened to her in the last seventy-two hours. Unintentionally, she caught the eye of the revered _ō-sama_ and became the talk of campus. Kagome could avoid the situation altogether and reject him outright, but her girlfriends were right; _how am I supposed to know what could've been if I shoot it down to begin with? Besides, popularity fades and one day, nobody will remember who we are._

Kagome frowned, standing in front of the doors to her next lecture. _Why the hell am I assuming we are going to be together long enough for people to forget us?_ She shook her head, trying to use the physical measure to rid herself of all of her thought. With a deep breath to reset herself, Kagome entered her lecture hall and pretended heads did not turn to gawk at her.

_They're just people and he's just a person. They put _him_ on the pedestal and I happen to be the only one that has been able to get close enough _to_ said pedestal._ Kagome blocked everybody out and took a seat towards the middle of the lecture hall, avoiding eye contact with any and every one.

_They're just—what the?_ Kagome pulled her phone out of her pocket when she felt it vibrate.

_Inuyasha…_

She swiped up and clicked on the text message that he sent her.

_Inuyasha~  
Change of plans, we're headed out at 6:30. Does that work?_

Kagome speedily typed her reply.

_Kagome~  
Works for me. I'll be in the library though, getting ahead on my readings…_

_Inuyasha~  
That's fine. I'll pick you up from the library building?_

_Kagome~  
You're trying to get me assassinated by one of your many fangirls, aren't you?_

_Inuyasha~  
Darn, you foiled my plans ;)_

_Kagome~  
Knew it, :P_

_Inuyasha~  
Aren't you in class? Pay attention, I'll text you when I'm at the building tonight._

_Kagome~  
Sounds good, thanks!_

Kagome tossed her phone in to her bag and leaned back while she waited for the professor to arrive. Although she was having heart palpitations and a nervous sweat collected at her hairline, she tried very hard to keep her conversations with Inuyasha lighthearted and witty. _He_ didn't need to know that she had become a fangirl (albeit not as squealy as some of the other ones) from the moment she first laid eyes on him. Kagome was always very good at pretending things didn't affect her, so she was thrown off of her game when he approached her…

_How do you pretend when the guy is right freaking there?_

Before Kagome could spiral in to another endless circle of mental _what ifs_, the professor entered the lecture hall.

* * *

"Hey! _Heyyyy_!"

Kagome stopped and looked over her shoulder to see a slender girl sprinting to catch up with her. Class ended ten minutes ago and Kagome was already halfway out the building. Stopping, Kagome turned around and waited for the unknown girl to catch up.

"Hi?"

"Damn, you are _fast_." The girl was doubled over, trying to catch her breath. All Kagome could do was wait for her to recover before she asked who the heck she was.

"Sorry." She finally stood up and smiled at Kagome. "I'm Hiromi Kikyo!"

Kagome nodded once, confusedly. "Higurashi Kagome."

"Oh, I know who you are." Kikyo leaned forward. "You're rising in the ranks in the forum, aren't you?"

Kagome frowned. "Am I? I don't pay attention to these things."

"Sure, you don't," Kikyo winked at Kagome before looping her arm through hers and tugging her out of the building. "That's why you've wrapped Takahashi-kun around your finger."

Immediately, Kagome knew what all of this was about to yanked her arm free from the unusually perky woman. "I do not have _anybody_ wrapped around my finger. Inuyasha is free to talk to anybody, eat with anybody, and sit with anybody he chooses to."

Kikyo's eyebrows shot up. "Inuyasha? You're on a first name basis with my boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend?"

Kikyo flipped her hair. "Oh, yeah. It's a secret, so don't tell anybody." Kikyo pressed her finger against her lips. "I would appreciate it if you stayed away from him. Okay? Thanks." Kagome scowled as Kikyo blew a kiss at her before prancing off, adjusting her backpack in the process.

_What a lying piece of… ugh!_ Kagome turned on her heel and stomped towards the library building. She knew getting involved with Inuyasha would mean psycho fangirls would approach her, but she didn't think it would happen so quickly. If what the rumour mill produced was true, Inuyasha did not have a girlfriend for all of the three years he attended Shuto University. If he _did_ have a girlfriend, somebody was bound to find out.

And if he _did_ have a girlfriend, he wouldn't so openly flounce around with Kagome.

_I hate jealous women. Why can't we celebrate each other and our happiness?_ Kagome found an empty table and threw her backpack onto it, a little rougher than intended. Women like Kikyo annoyed Kagome; the kind that became jealous of others success and celebrated their failures. The human race needed to take a step back and celebrate _each other_.

_Get your mind off of it, Kagome!_ Unzipping her bag, Kagome pulled her tablet out and propped it up. She fished out her tablet pen and text book and dove in to her reading, biding time until Inuyasha came to get her.

* * *

Kagome's phone buzzing was her snap back to reality. Looking away from her text book, she saw Inuyasha's name alit on her phone. Frowning, she glanced at her desktop clock on her tablet: _6:42pm_.

"What the…"

Kagome answered the phone. "I am so sorry!"

"I just got here." He sounded amused. "Come down?"

"Yep! Five minutes?"

"Sure. Do you want a coffee?"

Kagome knew there was a café on the first floor of the library. Inuyasha must've mean that he was going to her something while he waited. Just as she was going to decline his offer, she released a jaw-splitting yawn.

_On second thought…_

"Please. Just one milk."

"Got it. See you soon."

"Bye!" Kagome hung up and quickly began to pack her things. With her backpack securely zipped, Kagome slung it over her shoulder and flew down the stairs. She didn't want to spend more time waiting for the elevator. Within seconds, she pushed the door open to the side of the library and quickly walked around to the front. She was met with the Adonis-like image of Inuyasha leaning against his bike, ignoring all the squealing girls around him, sipping out of Kagome's coffee cup.

Well, she _assumed_ it was hers, as he was only holding one.

His eyes flicked up when he caught sight of Kagome walking towards him. Inuyasha pushed off of the bike and met her halfway. "Hey." He handed her the coffee cup.

_Indirect kiss?! _Kagome's insides went wild as she, quickly, took a sip of the coffee before she greeted him in return.

"Hi. Thanks," she held the cup up, "I needed this."

"Anytime. Take your time finishing it before we head out."

"I thought we were supposed to leave at six thirty?"

Inuyasha nodded as he guided Kagome back to his bike. The squeals turned to deadly silence as the onlookers watched the first year interact with their beloved_ ō-sama_.

"We were." Inuyasha confirmed. "We're supposed to be there at seven, but I ran late picking you up. I told the boys we'd be there before seven thirty."

Kagome sipped her coffee as she listened. "Why did the time change?"

"Kouga has an appointment at seven in the morning. He asked if we can go a little earlier."

"Hmmm…" Kagome said through her sip.

"Quit rushing."

"I don't want to make us anymore late!"

"You don't have to worry about that," Inuyasha leaned against his bike. "Take your time. We'll get there when we do."

Kagome smiled and leaned against his bike with him. His hands were pushed in to his pockets and he scanned their surroundings, glancing at the girls that went from squealing, to quiet, to back to squealing while simultaneously taking pictures. He leaned his head down a tad to get closer to Kagome's ear; at over a foot taller than her, his height towered over her tiny frame.

"Want to place a bet of how many of your pictures are on the forum tomorrow?"

Kagome giggled. "I don't place losing bets."

"Smart girl." He smirked before standing straight back up. Kagome sipped her coffee again before deciding, on the spot, that she was going to tell Inuyasha about Kikyo. She didn't find a point in hiding it from him; if he was courting her (or had the intention to), then he had the right to know which girls are out there claiming that he belonged to them.

"Say…" Inuyasha glanced down when heard Kagome's voice speak up. "A girl stopped me today after class."

"Are you… who?" His voice was tight, and Kagome instantly knew that he was annoyed at the situation.

"Hiromi Kikyo?"

"… who?"

Kagome didn't realize there was a tightness in her chest until it was released. He genuinely sounded confused; he really didn't know who she was. _Why does that relieve me?_ It shouldn't matter—if she _was _his girlfriend, all that would've meant was that he was a lying scumbag.

"You haven't heard of her?"

"Name sounds familiar, but I can't recall. What did she say?"

Kagome shook her head. "Nothing of consequence. Something about you having an illicit affair with her. A couple dozen kids, no big deal."

Inuyasha was thoroughly amused, as it shone brightly on his face. "Did she now? Didn't pay her enough to keep quiet."

Kagome giggled as she took another sip of her coffee. "No, you didn't."

"What did she _actually_ say?"

"She's your secret girlfriend."

"… and?"

Kagome shrugged. "Nothing. She walked off and I went to study. It's none of my business if you choose to openly cheat on her… I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here, though, and assuming you're an honourable guy that wouldn't cheat on his girlfriend, secret or otherwise."

"How very kind of you." Inuyasha chuckled. "I'm glad you exercised common sense."

"How could I not? She's saying she's your secret girlfriend, but you've already had lunch with me _and_ walked me to my dorms… you're being a terrible secret boyfriend, to be honest, if everything she said held any truth to it." Kagome mock reprimanded him.

"I might be a terrible secret boyfriend, but I can be a pretty great real boyfriend." With a wink, he plucked her almost empty coffee cup out of her hand and drank the last two sips before, flawlessly, tossing it into a recycling bin a few feet away from them.

The peals of squeals reached their ears, but Kagome was only focused on one thing: _…pretty great real boyfriend_. Inuyasha handed Kagome her helmet and she strapped it on before mounting the bike behind him.

"Hold on tightly, Kagome."

With brief moment of hesitation, Kagome did wrap her arms around his torso and was immediately met with taut muscle. _Okay, so he's gorgeous, smart, kind, and works out. What the hell **can't** he do? _Without warning, Inuyasha revved his engine and sped off, expertly manoeuvring the bike his father gave him just under six years ago.

When they reached a stop light, began speaking through the Bluetooth connectivity that linked both of his helmets together.

"You good?"

"… how do I hear you?"

He snickered as he felt her tighten her grip in confusion.

"Bluetooth. Pretty fancy, hmm?"

"Aren't you a cocky one."

"I try. So, you good?"

"Yep! I've never been on a bike before, so this is pretty awesome… and how does this Bluetooth thing work? Do I need to do something to activate it? Wait, dumb question, you can hear me right, so this is working…"

Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at Kagome's rambling. "Nope, you don't have to do anything special. So long as the power is on for both helmets and we have it on, we're connected. Whatever you say, I can hear so don't badmouth me."

"Darn."

The light turned green and Inuyasha smiled to himself as he kicked off and began driving towards their destination. When he took a sharp turn, Kagome tightened her grip both because she wasn't expecting it, and because her heart was thundering in her chest by the closeness of Inuyasha to her.

Finally, after an eternity that ended too soon, Inuyasha and Kagome dismounted. She pulled the helmet off and clutched it against her chest, grinning at Inuyasha.

"That was actually really fun!"

"I'm glad. Come," he ushered her towards the establishment and guided her inside with one hand on the small of her back. A sweet smell filled her nose as they entered the pool house and, immediately, she saw Miroku and two guys huddled around a pool table. Sitting off to the side was a young woman reading a book.

"Bankotsu and Kouga?"

"Yep. And that's Bankotsu's girlfriend, Banryu."

Inuyasha brought Kagome over to where his friends were and pulled her backpack off of her shoulder, gently placing it next to where the boys tossed their bags.

"Gentlemen and Banryu, Higurashi Kagome. Kagome, Sugiyama Kouga, Shichinintai Bankotsu, and Sakuretsu Banryu. And you've already met Miroku." Inuyasha's fingers did not leave the small of Kagome's back and she was acutely aware of that. Keeping herself composed, Kagome bowed in respect to Inuyasha's friends.

"Pleasure to meet you all."

"Pleasure is all ours!" Kouga sauntered over and wrapped an arm around Kagome's shoulders. "Inuyasha here hasn't brought a girl around us since _ever_. And I've known him since he was fourteen."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "And _I've_ known him longer."

"Will you two quit scaring the girl? You'd think for the _first_ girl he's brought around, you'd be less… like yourselves." Bankotsu rubbed his temples. Banryu giggled and pushed her way past Kouga and Miroku to stand directly in front of Kagome.

"Don't mind them, please come join me! It's always boring being the only girl around these four uncouth fools…"

Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha who nodded. Smiling, she followed Banryu over to where she was sitting and immediately began getting to know her.

"Why her?" Bankotsu asked as the four boys watched the two girls.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Why not?"

"You've been single for so long… just curious."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Leave the guy alone. He finally likes somebody and you're here asking _why_. Get over yourself, you waited _seven years_ for Banryu to finally notice you."

"You shut your ass. You're salty because I beat you _twice_."

Kouga snorted. "Yeah, by cheating!"

Although Inuyasha heard his friends' banter, he paid them no heed. His eyes were locked onto Kagome…

_Why her?_


	5. Pack Mentality

The game of pool was getting intense. Kouga had his fingers wrapped around Bankotsu's neck while Miroku and Inuyasha attempted to yank him off. Banryu rolled her eyes and told Kagome not to mind them; it was a regular occurrence that Kouga tried to murder Bankotsu.

"Are you going to the start of year soccer game tomorrow?"

Kagome looked away from the dogpile of boys. "It's tomorrow?"

Banryu nodded. "Yep! Those four hooligans are on the senior year team."

Speaking of which… "How do they determine the freshmen team?"

"They take the sports scholarship students and stick them with the sophomore players. It's not a _great _method to assemble a team, but…" Banryu shrugged. "It gets the work done."

Kagome giggled. "All in the name of sports, hm?"

Banryu laughed and nodded at Kagome's sentiment. The rambunctious boys calmed down and resumed a civil game of pool. Kagome noted that Inuyasha hung back and watched the other boys more than participate in the game. He seemed to be a calculative people-watcher and perhaps that was why he maintained a modicum of mystery throughout the previous three years.

"Who is the senior team captain?"

"Bankotsu, and Kouga is the co-captain." Banryu sipped on a lychee smoothie. "Miroku is defender, Inuyasha is forward. Kouga is the goalie, and Bankotsu is mid-field."

"So, they're a little bit of everything?"

Banryu nodded. "It's what makes it such a cohesive team. They've known each other for years… well, Kouga, Miroku and Inuyasha have. They all met Bankotsu when they joined Shuto. There're three other seniors on the team, most of them mid-field, and four juniors."

"And I assume they all get along?"

"Very well. They make it a point to hang out frequently, for team spirit. They're the official senior boys' soccer team for Shuto and we've been winning trophy after trophy every year since these four joined the team." At that precise moment, Kouga attempted to throw a punch but Miroku caught him around the torso and hauled him away from Bankotsu.

"YOU'RE A CHEATING SCUMBAG—"

"I see the cohesiveness…" Kagome muttered dryly and Banryu snickered.

"It's there. Somewhere."

Tuning the fight out, Kagome and Banryu talked about everything under the sun: their personal lives, Shuto University, how Banryu and Bankotsu met—and how Bankotsu tried to woo Banryu for seven years, sending one of his six brothers to convince her that he'd be the perfect man for her every year. Kagome was baffled that Bankotsu was one of seven.

"He's the youngest, but definitely the one in charge." Banryu was beaming with pride, and Kagome couldn't help but feel happy for her. _Good for her for finding her one true love._

"Aren't you going to get something to eat?"

Inuyasha's imposing aura enveloped Kagome and she couldn't help the goosebumps that prickled the back of her neck. She craned her head back to see that he was leaning on a pool cue, a lopsided smirk on his face. Banryu, as if pinched awake, snapped her head over to Kagome.

"You _didn't_ get anything!" She said as if she only realized it now. "You should've told me when I got this." She shook her half empty smoothie cup midway in the air.

Kagome shook her head. "No, it's okay!"

"You probably haven't eaten since after class…" Inuyasha wasn't asking. He cocked an eyebrow at Kagome who had to look away from him. He could be intimidating if he wanted to be, and he probably wanted to be at that moment.

"Well…"

"I'm grabbing myself a snack. What do you want?"

Kagome shot up off of her seat. "No, it's okay! You already bought me lunch once before…"

"I insist."

"You don't—"

"Ahh, indulge him, Kagome." Banryu called out. "The guy doesn't bring girls around… let him live out his fantasies."

Kagome wanted to roll her eyes and retort with: _if buying for a girl is his fantasy then, God please, let him keep his innocence. _Alas, she kept her mouth shut because she truly believed Inuyasha has had his not-so-innocuous moments with women. It wasn't in her place to ask, or say, but how could a man of his _stature_: looks, smarts, and sense of humour, be _innocent_?! He **was** a God amongst men (as the women on campus so lightly referred to him as).

"I really don't…"

Inuyasha raised his eyebrow and Kagome sighed, defeated. She _was_ a little thirsty. "Fine. Carbonated water."

"You're cheeky, thinking that's all I'm getting you." Inuyasha smirked as he breezed past the two girls towards the little cafeteria. Kagome's jaw went involuntarily slack and Banryu had to slap a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"You're cute trying to be modest."

"But I'm not!"

"Well _I_ know that, but it's still cute. He's going to buy you something whether you ask for it not, so why not just _ask_ for something you want?" Banryu couldn't help but laugh at herself. "I can see why he likes you. You're special."

"I will take the latter part of your comment as a compliment."

"It wasn't meant to be anything other than."

"Aye! You two! Do you want to play? Please say yes or else this one here'll _actually_ kill me!" Bankotsu called out, his hands cupped over his mouth as Miroku stood like a bodyguard between him and Kouga. Kouga was scowling, his eyes flaming but as soon as he turned to look at the girls, his expression melted. Kouga had a soft spot for the women in his friends' lives… he was extremely over protective. It was somewhat of a _pack_ mentality, as he grew up with an exceptionally large family.

Banryu's eyes twinkled as she searched Kagome's. "You want to play a round?"

"I'm not very good."

"Neither am I!" Banryu pushed herself off of the seat and Kagome followed suit. Idly, she glanced over her shoulder to spot Inuyasha at the counter of the café, pointing to something at the menu with his right hand while leaning on the pool cue in his left. Not wanting her gaze to linger any longer, and risk Banryu teasing her, Kagome turned around and took the four steps necessary to approach the awaiting men.

"You break?" Miroku nodded at Banryu who took his outstretched pool cue. Kagome watched confusedly as Kouga held out his cue.

"… Higurashi?"

Kagome blinked twice and looked up at Kouga. "Uhh… call me Kagome."

"That's fine and dandy and you can call us all by our firsts, but what're you waiting for?"

Kagome bit her lower lip and, hesitantly, took Kouga's cue. "I've never actually played… so I have no idea what to do?"

"A pool virgin!" Miroku grinned. Bankotsu snickered and shuffled past Banryu to stand on Kagome's left. Kouga rested his elbow on Kagome's right shoulder while simultaneously winking at Banryu.

"Go easy on this one, will you?"

Banryu rolled her eyes. "Kouga, you know _very_ well that I just learned how to play last week."

"You still have one lesson more than her." Kagome used her elbow to shove Kouga out of the way. He laughed, but took a step back and held his hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry. Banky, be a good boy and teach ō-sama's woman here how to play pool."

Kagome wanted to call out that she _wasn't_ Inuyasha's woman, but at that precise moment Inuyasha materialized beside Kouga with a tray of food, handpicked for his and Kagome's appetites. Kagome's eyes flickered to the food then back up at Inuyasha's neutral expression.

"That's a lot of food for yourself."

"Funny, I do recall saying that I was getting food for _us_." Inuyasha set the tray of food down on the table Kagome and Banryu were sitting on. Once again, he leaned into his pool cue and observed the situation presented before him: Kagome and Banryu holding pool cues, Bankotsu leaning in with his palms on the pool table, looking as if he was prepping himself for a pool lesson, Kouga off to the side watching in amusement, and Miroku standing beside Banryu with his arms crossed.

"Bankotsu called it quits?" Inuyasha asked, cocking an eyebrow in amusement.

Miroku barked out a loud _HA_ and Bankotsu glared at his friend. Kouga chose not to say anything, but the corner of his lips did tug up slightly to show his obvious amusement.

Bankotsu hissed before snidely responding. "I did not call it _quits_."

"You were scared of getting your ass handed to you by Kouga, honey, don't act all macho now." Banryu cooed at her boyfriend, resulting in her being on the receiving end of a nasty glare.

"You're supposed to be on _my_ side, woman!"

"I call it how it is, babe."

Inuyasha ignored the banter around him, his eyes were solely focused on Kagome who was watching the playful back-and-forth between Bankotsu and Banryu. He cleared his throat and Kagome glanced back at him, a lopsided grin on her face. "They're amusing, hm?"

He nodded once. "Never a dull moment… do you need help?"

Kagome looked at the pool cue and bit her lower lip. "I've never actually played."

"Let me help you."

Kagome's heart began racing when she saw Inuyasha rest his pool cue against the table and approach her, his walk oozing with confidence and power. Bankotsu and Banryu were immune to what was happening, trying to be the victor in what was a battle of insults. Kouga sauntered off at some point to grab some food and Miroku retired to the table where Kagome and Banryu were sitting, helping himself to the snacks Inuyasha bought.

Inuyasha stood directly in front of Kagome and raised an eyebrow. "Turn?"

"Eek!"

Kagome whirled around and felt Inuyasha's arms come on either side of her, resting on the ledge of the pool table. "You can't be nervous, Kagome." His breath tickled her ear and it was taking all of Kagome's willpower to not shove him and run out of the establishment. She glanced up to see Banryu turn away from Bankotsu to look at her.

"Inuyasha's going to help you?"

Kagome squeaked but nodded.

"That's fair. Bankotsu helped me last week when I went up against Miroku."

Nobody seemed fazed by the fact that Inuyasha's chest was pressed against Kagome's back, or that the bugle of his biceps caged her within his arms. She felt the heat beginning to rise from her toes and slowly make its way up to her neck. _I cannot breathe! What the hell is his presence?!_

Kagome's question didn't make sense in her own mind, but she wasn't going to ponder her lack of sense.

"Banryu," Inuyasha nodded at his friend who grinned in response. The fluidity in which Banryu moved didn't hint at the fact that she was a new player. Kagome was standing, with her back against Inuyasha's chest, watching in awe. Finally, it was Kagome's turn and Inuyasha took half a step closer, pressing his chest deeper in to Kagome's back.

"Ready?"

Kagome nodded dumbly and allowed her body to be guided by Inuyasha's. She wasn't paying attention to any of the rules of the game, or how she was supposed to hold the cue, or hit the ball. All she was focused on was Inuyasha's body heat enveloping her aura, his hot breath tickling her earlobe, his husky voice reverberating in her chest, the warmth of his touch as he guided her hands and repositioned her body.

"And that's how you play."

Kagome had to blink a few times. She looked over her shoulder to see Inuyasha take a step back and cross his arms, smirking roguishly at her.

"I have zero clue of what just happened. You just moved me like a puppet." Kagome stood up before looking from Inuyasha to Banryu. Banryu looked from Inuyasha to Kagome and finally over to Bankotsu. Her eyes narrowed and she glared, accusingly, at him.

"Inuyasha was _so_ helpful in teaching Kagome. You _yelled_ at me from the sidelines." Banryu rolled her eyes. "No wonder Kouga tries to strangle you every time we come here."

"Hey! Maybe Kagome needed more help than you." Bankotsu held his arms up in defense. "Remember, you _watch_ us play regularly. You had some semblance of an idea."

"But that was so **romantic**!" Banryu threw the 8-ball at Bankotsu who ducked just in time. Kagome giggled but turned her attention to Inuyasha. The revered _king_ of Shuto was bemusedly watching his two friends, a soft expression painting his face.

_Well he most certainly is a cut above the rest. _Kagome looked over at Miroku munching on some chocolate that Inuyasha bought and sipping her carbonated water. Raising both eyebrows, she approached him and slid in to the seat across from him. She missed it when Inuyasha tore his gaze away from Banryu and Bankotsu – who were now in the process of making up and getting a little more intimate than Inuyasha preferred in a public setting – to look at Kagome and Miroku.

"Enjoying your snack?" Kagome asked and Miroku shoved the tray in her direction.

"I'm not one to waste food. Here, it _was_ for you initially."

Kagome shook her head. "I'm really not hungry."

"More for me—_I mean…_"

Kagome glanced over to see Inuyasha standing beside her, stoically staring at Miroku. _His expression isn't all that scary? Why is Miroku…_

"It _was_ for her and me, initially. But please, my friend, enjoy."

"Your mean-nice voice is _so intimidating_, Takahashi." Miroku teased, sarcasm colouring his tone, as he slid off of his seat. Inuyasha smirked, watching his friend try to find Kouga to bring him back to their table. Inuyasha sat down across from Kagome and nodded at the food.

"You take your pickings."

"Kagome the Scavenger." Kagome winked and Inuyasha lifted his water bottle and took a sip before retorting with: _Kag the Scav._

Kagome blinked before, exaggeratedly, rolling her eyes. "Honestly? That was _terrible._"

His velvety chuckle filled Kagome's senses. "Yeah, I know."

_He's so confident in being a clown!_ Kagome was internally swooning, never being one to display her reactions outwardly. It wouldn't differentiate her from any of the other girls that vied for his affection and, given that she had somehow _caught_ his attention, she didn't want to lose it. He was, from what she was learning, a very interesting character that surprised her at any given moment.

"Ready for round two, boys?" Kouga hollered as he approached the pool table with an arm full of beer. Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder, his arm resting on the backrest of the bench he was sitting on, and raised both of his eyebrows at Kouga.

"Didn't you have to leave early because of an appointment tomorrow?"

Kouga grinned, the dimple on his left cheek becoming more prominent. "I do, but I can go for another round of pool. Oy, Bankotsu!"

"Oh geez, Banryu, can you fill in for me? I don't know how much more of his abuse I can take…"

Inuyasha shook his head and looked back over at Kagome. "You okay for another round? Or do you want me to take you home?"

Kagome nodded at the beer. "Are you planning on drinking?"

Inuyasha nodded once and Kagome gave him a bright smile. "Can you take me home first? I have class in the morning and I'd hate to be the one that makes you leave to take me home halfway through a drink… or I can call a cab?"

"Nonsense."

Inuyasha picked their helmets up and told the boys he'd be back in an hour. Kouga told him they'd be there for a bit longer and to take his time, and Banryu scurried over to give Kagome a hug and exchange telephone numbers with.

"I'll save us a seat at the game tomorrow!"

"Save me four?"

Banryu nodded and jogged back over to where Miroku and Bankotsu were preparing the pool cues. Inuyasha handed Kagome her helmet before clapping hands with Kouga. After taking his farewell, Inuyasha guided Kagome out of the pool house, his fingers pressing gently on the small of her back.

"I could just take a taxi home," Kagome said as they broke past the doors and were welcomed by a warm breeze. "You don't have to drive half an hour back to my dorm and then drive back here."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her. "And what kind of man do you think I'd be if I let you go home alone, at this hour?"

"A reasonable one." Kagome rolled her eyes and attempted to shove her helmet at him. Inuyasha, however, made no move to take it from her.

"You're funny, thinking I'd _actually_ let you take a cab home." Inuyasha smirked as he breezed past her. Kagome glared at his back and marched up to him as he began to put his helmet on. Kagome stood directly in front of him, her arms clutching her helmet tightly.

"Come on, seriously!"

"Yes," Inuyasha mounted the bike and used his head to usher Kagome to get on behind him. "Seriously. Now will you please get on?"

Kagome stomped her right foot and watched as he winked at her before sliding his visor down. Rolling her eyes, and trying to _not_ show that she was swooning over his little gesture, Kagome slipped her helmet on and got onto the bike behind him. Without a second to spare, he revved his engine and sped out of his parking spot.

Her Bluetooth cackled to life. "We're friends now, and friends help friends." Inuyasha's voice purred in to her ear. Kagome, involuntarily, tightened her grip on him.

"And I don't let my friends go out of their way for me."

"But don't you go out of your way for them?"

"That's different."

"Not really. You make an effort to take care of them, therefore _I_ will be making an effort to take care of _you_."

Kagome prayed to all the Gods of the universe that he did not feel her heart pounding against her chest. She knew he meant that innocently, but boy did her inner fangirl squeal out in happiness. Shaking her head, gently, to clear her thoughts Kagome gathered her wits and retorted.

"I really don't need taking care of. I'm pretty low maintenance."

"All the better for me."

Kagome's jaw dropped and she was glad he couldn't _see_ her. _Don't overthink this. Do not overthink this!_

"Besides, the rest of the boys are relatively _high_ maintenance." His voice broke her mantra. "So. you'll be my breath of fresh air."

"They didn't seem high maintenance…"

"Were you not there when Kouga almost murdered Bankotsu?"

"I wouldn't call that _high maintenance_. I'd call that… _expressionism_."

Kagome heard his laughter reverberate through her helmet.

"I'll remember that the next time I'm pushing Bankotsu out of the way for dear life."

"In a heroic fashion, of course."

"Of course. Is there any other kind of way?"

They both laughed quietly and enjoyed the rest of their ride in silence. As anticipated, Inuyasha pulled up in front of her dorm within half an hour. Kagome dismounted as he leaned on his left leg to balance his bike while simultaneously pushing the visor of his helmet up. "Thanks for coming out tonight."

Kagome was aware of the gaggle of girls gathering around them – his fan club existed no matter what time of day it was. Inuyasha, however, seemed utterly oblivious.

"Thanks for inviting me."

"Are you coming to the game tomorrow?"

Kagome nodded. "Yep. Banryu is saving me and my roommates a few seats."

"Good." Inuyasha's eyes crinkled, the only indication to Kagome that he was smiling. "I will see you tomorrow, then?"

"Uhh yeah," Kagome said, hating that she sounded so unsure. _You're a strong, independent, not-swooning-at-everything-he-says kind of woman!_ "See you tomorrow." Kagome moved to give him back his second helmet, but he shook his head.

"Hang on to it. I have a feeling you're going to need it more than I will…"

"But… what about your other friends?"

Inuyasha grinned and slid his visor down. He revved his engine once and left Kagome with: "You're the only person that has gotten on and will ever get on my bike." Before riding off into the eve. Kagome simply gawked watching the dust in his wake, unsure of what to say, do, or feel.

_I need to sit down and rethink my last twelve hours…_

"KAGOME!"

Kagome's eyes snapped up to where her dormitory balcony would be and saw Ayame, Rin, and Sango waving at her manically. Kagome turned her gaze away from them to where Inuyasha was not too long ago…

_Holy cow…_

Shaking her head, Kagome sprinted in to her dorm building and ran up the stairs, needing to get to her friends but not patient enough to wait for the elevator. As she anticipated, Sango had the door wide open and Kagome shot through, tossing the helmet on her bed and whirling onto her friends.

"Oh. My. **GOD**!"

Rin pulled up a chair and dove in to a bag of chips. "Tell us everything and don't leave out a single detail!"

Kagome inhaled deeply and started with the best part: "WE HAD AN INDIRECT KISS!"

There was a split second where the girls were deadly silent before they erupted in to squeals and cheers, all hugging each other as if Kagome had won some sort of medal. With they calmed down, just a bit, Kagome resumed with the rest of her story of how her day went: riding on his motorcycle, meeting his friends (to which Ayame said was a good sign as showing a potential significant other to a pack is a big step), to bonding with Banryu (to which Rin mentioned was very important as she needed to get along with the other girls in his group), to keeping the helmet because nobody else was expected to ride with him on his bike in the future.

Ayame, Kagome, and Rin all looked at Sango expectantly. She raised both eyebrows. "What?"

"Don't you have any words of wisdom?" Kagome asked and Sango snorted.

"Pfft, no. I saw that coming a mile away."

"How?" Ayame's eyes widened. Kagome rolled her eyes and flopped onto her bed, cradling the helmet into her chest. She was used to Sango's inane babblings.

Sango grinned at Ayame and Rin (her new victims). "Think about it! He's mister doesn't-date-a-girl-in-ever! He invited _our_ Kagome on a date and gives her a ride on his motorcycle… has anybody ever _seen_ another person on his trusty steed?"

Rin chewed on her lower lip. "Well, no, but we are first years…"

Kagome sighed. "Rin, just listen to her. He told me to keep it because nobody else has been on the bike and nobody else will ever be on the bike."

Sango froze and slowly turned around to look at her best friend. "Shut. Up. I was just making all of that up!"

"You were?!" Ayame sounded dumfounded but Sango paid her no heed.

"He _actually_ hasn't let anybody on the bike before?! Ayame! Rin! Save the date! Kagome'll be a Takahashi soon—_oomph_!" Sango stumbled back when Kagome's pillow came in contact with the back of her head.

"We are literally less than a week into the school year and he's taken me out to hang out _once_. You guys need to calm down." Kagome was wondering who she was trying to convince: her friends, or herself. In any case, the words needed to be said and she said it.

Rin clasped her hands together. "And we get to see him in action at the soccer game tomorrow! Ohhh, we have to leave early to get seats—"

"Got that covered." Kagome grinned when all eyes snapped to her. "I asked Banryu to save us four seats…"

Rin dropped to her knees and shuffled over to Kagome, clasping her hands in her own. "I meant it when I said you're a goddess amongst us."

Sango snorted. "She's just having a string of sexily good luck."

Ayame snickered and shoved Sango's shoulder. "You've just discovered my new favourite word."

"Luck?" Kagome called out and Ayame rolled her eyes.

"_Sexily_."

The four girls laughed without inhibition and talked about Kagome's day a bit more. Rin expressed her sadness in not meeting the king in person, but Kagome explained that they had to leave early for the pool house, and she'd introduce her to him in due time. Finally, it was time to hit the hay; the girls all took turns going to the bathroom, with Kagome being the last to go. After washing her face and changing in to her sleeping clothes, Kagome crawled in to her bed and turned on her phone, preparing herself to do her nightly ritual of scrolling through social media before passing out.

She was caught off guard when she saw she had one unread text message from an hour ago.

_Inuyasha~  
Had fun today. Goodnight._

Kagome's heart was pounding in her chest as she reread the text several times. With shaky fingers, she tapped her response.

_Kagome~  
I had a lot of fun too. See you tomorrow!_


	6. Notoriety

**Rough translations you should know: Hogo-sha = guardian, ōhi-sama = queen, aka wife of the king.**

* * *

Kagome woke to a surreal feeling in the pit of her stomach. Everything that happened the previous day was naught but a blur: meeting Inuyasha's friends, playing pool, getting two rides from him on his motorcycle… a motorcycle in which nobody other than Inuyasha and Kagome mounted… and nobody, other than Kagome and Inuyasha, would ever moun. Kagome's eyes found the helmet he gave her resting at the base of her bed, half covered in her blanket.

_If the rumours are true and he never had a girlfriend, then how is he so good at being romantic…_ What Kagome wanted to know, most of all, was why he was paying attention to _her_. She was a simple girl that grew up on a shrine that was looking forward to spending her university days with her best friend Sango and soon to be best friends, Ayame and Rin. How he spotted her and decided to shower her with affection is beyond Kagome's realm of comprehension.

Grunting, Kagome rolled out of bed and saw Sango splayed out on hers and Rin sleeping soundly on the bunk bed above Sango. Glancing up at the bunk above hers, Kagome noted that Ayame had made her bed and was gone—probably to get a morning workout in. She was one of _those_ girls that Kagome aspired to be: healthy.

As quietly as possible, Kagome shuffled around and got ready to begin her day. She didn't notice her phone vibrate with an incoming text message. Kagome was in the bathroom, getting her morning shower out of the way and dabbing on the light makeup she was accustomed to. When she was satisfied with her handiwork, Kagome tiptoed to her bed and picked up her phone.

_And Banryu's messaged me._ Kagome couldn't help but smile, she loved the fact that his friends embraced her so easily. With a quick swipe, she unlocked her phone and scanned the message.

_Banryu~  
Hey ;) Game starts at 3 sharp, I'll save you seats by the benches… perks of being the captain's girlfriend :D!_

Kagome grinned seeing the message from her newfound friend. With the speed of a seasoned texter, Kagome tapped her reply.

_Kagome~  
Sounds good! I'm done class at noon so I'll be there on time. I'll bring my friends as well._

_Banryu~  
Sounds good. What class do you have?_

_Kagome~  
Feudal history… learning about the great War of the West._

_Banryu~  
Cool! Are you in the new history building?_

_Kagome~  
Yep! All my classes have been in the old building so I'm kinda excited about going there today…_

_Banryu~  
It's farther than the old building, you gotta head out soon. I dunno if you know, but Miroku is minoring in religious studies and he's around the history buildings a lot. I think he may actually be going to the new history building today. Want me to message him for you? Maybe you two could walk there together._

Kagome smiled at the offer.

_Kagome~  
It's okay. Don't really want to inconvenience him._

_Banryu~  
Hardly! You get your butt out of your dorm, let me connect with my peeps and get you a walking buddy to class._

_Kagome~  
You don't have to!_

_Banryu~  
The number you are trying to text is ignoring you. Please try again when you're no longer trying to be modest._

Kagome snorted before biting her lip to see if she roused her friends. She didn't.

_Kagome~  
Fine. Fine. I'll meet him by the bike racks by the old history building!_

_Banryu~  
Glad you came around but no need. He was just passing by the girls' dorms when I called him. He's waiting for you downstairs._

_Kagome~  
You work some kind of magic._

_Banryu~  
Naturally ;) Now, ta ta! See you later._

Kagome locked her phone, tucked it into her back pocket and quietly left the room. The hallways were beginning to bustle with life as girls started leaving their rooms to being their day. Kagome wasn't immune to a few of them giving her second glances; they were recognizing her from the forums. Kagome hadn't logged in yet, but she was sure pictures from yesterday probably spread like wildfire—pictures of her mounting Inuyasha's bike outside of the library building… and of him drinking from the same cup she drank from.

It was a scandalous situation; something Kagome wasn't used to.

As soon as she pushed the doors open to leave the building, she was welcomed with Miroku leaning against a tree, studying his nails. Kagome looked both ways – for what? She hadn't a clue – before lightly jogging up to him. Miroku looked up in time to see her come to a halt in front of him. His face cracked in to a huge grin and he, without warning, hugged her tightly.

"Hey! Thanks for keeping me company!"

"I didn't—"

Miroku let go of her and began walking towards the new history building. "Banryu called me and said you were going to the new building and wanted a buddy. These walks are so long and boring, I'm glad I have a partner now."

_I have a feeling that wasn't what Banryu said, but I'm glad he's sparing me embarrassment…_

"Company is always nice." Kagome added and Miroku nodded.

"Indeed. Did you have fun yesterday?"

Kagome tilted her head to the side to grin at him. "I did. Do you guys often hang out and play pool?"

"Yep." Miroku nodded. "Bankotsu's the only one that's had a steady girlfriend. Whenever Kouga or I find somebody, we bring her along but that's not really that often. We don't want our hideout to be found."

Kagome chewed on her lower lip. "But Inuyasha brought me?"

"He did." Miroku affirmed. "It is his decision. I'm glad he did; I've never seen him so laidback before."

_You call yesterday laid back?_ Kagome decided not to say what she was thinking. She thought he was a stoic, brooding, hot _sonofagun_.

"It's really not my story to tell." Miroku suddenly offered and Kagome glanced up at him. She raised an eyebrow and he smiled down at her. "He did have a girlfriend, back when we were in high school. The only girl I've ever seen him date, actually." Miroku bit his lower lip, deep in thought before shaking his head out of it. He smiled, one eye closed, at Kagome. "It didn't end well and I've never seen him interested in any other girl… other than you."

_Well, there is a mysterious history behind the brooding King of Shuto._ Kagome mused. "High school?"

Miroku nodded. "Yep. We were seventeen."

"But you aren't going to say anything more, are you?"

"Absolutely not." Miroku grinned. "He needs to maintain his aura of mystery. It's what draws the ladies in. Also, he'd kick my ass if I told you, so I'll leave the storytelling to him."

Kagome groaned and rolled her eyes. Miroku chuckled and shoved her with his shoulder. "But I'm glad he brought you around. You not the screeching fangirl type."

"Of course I'm not the screeching type." Kagome huffed, clearly offended that Miroku even dared to use the word _screeching_ in the same sentence as _her_.

"But you don't deny being a fangirl?"

Blushing, Kagome glanced away. "Well, it's hard **not** to be a fangirl."

Miroku laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "So you **are** a fangirl, hmm, _ōhi-sama?"_

Kagome gawked at a snickering Miroku. Her jaw was slack and she had zero clue on how to retort… _ōhi-sama?! But that means the queen… as in the king's wife, queen! _Kagome was brought back to reality by Miroku squeezed her shoulder.

"Come now, Kagome. I was merely joking."

"… jokes like that aren't funny, _hogo-sha."_

Miroku beamed. "Guardian! I like that…" He bowed with flourish and Kagome wasn't immune to the few people who stopped dead in their tracks to watch the interaction. "I, Lin Miroku, regard myself as the _hogo_-_sha_ of our revered _ōh_—"

Kagome clamped a hand over his mouth and looked in every direction. "Okay! You don't have to start saying _ōhi-sama_ in public now…"

"Why? Embarrassed?"

Kagome sensed his playfulness and rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously. Nobody _wants_ to be called _ōhi-sama_. That's as bad as being called _ō-sama_."

"Never thought I'd see a girl who disliked being royalty, but there you have it." Miroku straightened up and ushered towards the clock tower that peeked between a few buildings. "We have a way to go, let's not dilly dally."

"Whose fault is that?" Kagome mumbled under her breath but Miroku heard her. Though she didn't want to show him, a small smile tugged at her lips. She grew up with a brother and a handful of close girl friends, but she never was close to any boy before. It was mainly because her long-term boyfriend was _slightly _jealous and balked at the thought of Kagome speaking to the opposite sex. He wasn't abusive, just whiny enough to get on Kagome's nerves.

"Did you have breakfast?" Miroku suddenly asked. Kagome shook her head. "When's your first class?"

"Half hour."

"Perfect! We're detouring through the canteen… I need coffee and you need food."

"Is this my _hogo-sha_ ensuring I'm well taken care of?"

He winked at her. "Of course, lest we have our favourite _ō-sama_ behead me."

"Shuto royalty at its best."

Miroku laughed at Kagome's dry quip.

* * *

_Miroku~  
I've been knighted hogo-sha of our ōhi-sama._

Kouga and Inuyasha, both sitting in their advanced arithmetic class, glanced at the phones. Miroku messaged the group chat he had with his boys, informing them of the events that occurred that morning… well, _partial_ events. Miroku clearly picked his favourite bit of conversation out of everything he and Kagome talked about that morning.

_Kouga~  
Hogo-sha? Ōhi-sama? What did we miss…?_

_Inuyasha~  
Did you call Kagome ōhi-sama?!_

_Miroku~  
Well, yeah, but she called me hogo-sha!_

_Bankotsu~  
I think you're gonna scare her away, friend. And poor ō-sama here just found a girl he's fond of._

_Inuyasha~  
I told you yesterday not to call her ōhi-sama._

_Kouga~  
You two had a talk last night?! Wtf were Bankotsu and I?_

_Miroku~  
You were chasing him down the dorm halls after he beat you at pool…_

Inuyasha ignored the tangent conversation and focused back on what Miroku said.

_Inuyasha~  
Why the hell would you call her that when I told you not to?_

_Miroku~  
Relax, man. She's fine, we're having coffee and I'm walking her to class after._

_Inuyasha~  
Fine. But stop embarrassing yourself._

_Miroku~  
Hey! I'm her hogo-sha. It's my duty until death to protect her now :D_

_Kouga~  
You are such an idiot._

_Bankotsu~  
I agree with ^_

_Miroku~  
Hey, look! You two agree on something… Kagome is already changing our friendship for the better._

_Bankotsu~  
LOL!_

_Inuyasha~  
I quit this friendship._

Inuyasha tossed his phone back on his desk and Kouga snickered beside him. He, too, was majoring in architecture like Inuyasha and the both of them had the exact same classes together for the last four years. Kouga kept looking at his phone and Inuyasha, though itching to take a look at their chat group, held himself back. Though his friends were loyal through and through, their innate childish nature sometimes influenced him and he wasn't going to let that happen.

Not when it came to Kagome…

A small smile tugged the corner of his lips. Kagome… wherever the hell it was she fell from, Inuyasha was glad she fell against his motorcycle that fateful morning.

* * *

Kagome grinned when she saw Banryu waving at her, two rows behind where the players waited on the bench. With Kagome were her three other friends – three other _excited_ friends – Ayame, Rin and Sango. The four girls hurriedly made their way over to where Banryu was saving them seats. Beside her were two men that looked similar to Bankotsu.

"Renkotsu, Jakotsu, this is Higurashi Kagome and her friends…"

Kagome smiled and introduced the girls with her: "Watanabe Sango, Tanaka Rin, and Nakajima Ayame."

Banryu beamed. "And they're Bankotsu's brothers, the two that are immediately older than him."

"Sweetie, hi!" Jakotsu bounded over to Kagome and gripped her hands. "You have the most gorgeous eyes I have _ever_ seen!"

Kagome blinked twice and looked over Jakotsu's shoulder to a facepalming Renkotsu and a clearly amused Banryu. "Uhhh…"

"Jakotsu, sit your ass down." Renkotsu called out. Jakotsu sighed and, reluctantly, let go of Kagome's hands before slouching his way over to his brother.

"I can't compliment a girl?"

"You were being creepy." Banryu muttered. "Come, girls, sit! Bankotsu's brothers came specially to see the opening match… it _is_ Bankotsu's final one." Banryu had a twinkle in her eyes whenever she said Bankotsu's name, and Kagome found it _very_ endearing.

"Brother Mukotsu needed us to pass a message to Bankotsu." Renkotsu had his arms crossed as he eyed Jakotsu warily… his brother was salivating over the soccer players that were practicing at the far end of the field. "Our younger brother has been dodging our calls."

Banryu frowned. "What? But I saw him talk to Suikotsu the other night!"

"And you trust Suikotsu to pass any messages on to _anybody_?" Renkotsu cocked an eyebrow. "He's about as reliable as brother Jakotsu over here."

"I am _so too_ reliable." Jakotsu shot. "My attention span may be in question but—_ohhhh_, _hey hot stuff_!"

Kagome glanced at her three friends who were just in awe as she was. _I'm glad he's so in tune with his sexuality. And, truthfully, that guy he was cat calling was pretty hot…_

"So, you're two of the six that's tried to woo Banryu on behalf of Bankotsu?" Kgaome asked, causing Jakotsu to grin stupidly.

"Absolutely! He's about as tactful as the small fork at the dinner table."

Renkotsu nodded, his eyes closed and arms crossed before opening an eye to gawk at his brother.

"Small spoon at the—what the _hell_ are you talking about?!"

Sango tried to muffle her laughter, but Ayame and Rin were less successful. Banryu's grin broadened as Jakotsu babbled on about the things Bankotsu did throughout the years to vie for Banryu's affection; some were absolutely adorable, while others made Kagome scratch her head in confusion.

"A love so pure is so rare…" Jakotsu finished with a sigh, and just in time as well. The announcer began to call out the start of the game and name the players from both teams as they ran onto the field. When Inuyasha's name was called, the stadium went wild, cheers and shrieks sounding from every angle. Kagome clapped, though not as energetically as the rest of the crowd. Her eyes were locked with Inuyasha's as her hands worked subconsciously. His eyes never left hers as he waved to his adoring fans.

"He's looking right at me!"

Kagome's reverie was broken. She glanced over her shoulder to see a fawning brunette and her friend. Smiling, she looked back over to Inuyasha. He broke his line of sight to whisper something to Miroku. Her self-appointed guardian looked over at her and waved both hands at her.

"Kagomeeee!"

Kagome giggled and waved back at him. "Good luck, _hogo-sha_!"

Miroku winked at her and turned back to Inuyasha. Sango picked her jaw up off of the floor and whirled onto Kagome. "Who is he?!"

"A friend of Inuyasha's?"

"He's… can you… is he… I mean…"

Banryu leaned over Kagome's shoulder and grinned. "I can, he is, and don't worry about it."

"Can somebody translate?" Rin raised a hand and Kagome laughed.

"Sango was asking: can you introduce me, is he single, I mean I don't want to seem pushy."

Ayame gawked. "You two understood her gibberish?"

Banryu nodded. "Translating incoherent women comes with the job description of being Bankotsu's girlfriend. Kouga, Inuyasha and Miroku's physiques don't affect me so I'm reduced to simple translations."

"And I'm her best friend. I've been translating _incoherent-fangirl _for my whole life." Kagome tacked on at the end of Banryu's sentence.

Sango glowered at her. "Hey! I'm not an incoherent fangirl."

Kagome winked at her. "You kind of were, right there."

"You're supposed to be _my_ friend." Sango harrumphed and Kagome wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"And I'll introduce you to Miroku as an apology for teasing you."

Sango laughed. "Fine. A spade for a spade. But don't introduce me _too_ soon… you need to integrate _yourself_ in _ō-sama_'s world first before you try to integrate me."

Rin leaned over to Ayame and murmured: "I somehow feel like Sango got the better end of the deal. Hey, the co-captain is pretty hot, how about set Ayame up with him?"

Ayame smacked Rin's shoulder. "I am _not_ currently looking, thank you very much! Why the hell aren't you asking for yourself?!"

Rin shrugged. "He looks more like your type. Rugged. Rough around the edges. Wolfish, even? I daresay he'd probably be a beast in the hay…"

"RIN!" Ayame's screech was almost deafening.

Banryu grinned, her head bouncing between the two girls. "I like your friends. Bring them around more?"

"Around the king and his incredibly hot friends? Please, yes, Kagome!" Rin clapped her hands and Kagome threw her head back in laughter.

"You guys sound like…" Kagome couldn't find the word, but Banryu filled in for her.

"Thirsty bitches?"

Kagome nodded in all seriousness but Sango smacked her shoulder. "I'm not _thirsty_, Kagome. I'm very _parched_."

"I'm fucking dehydrated." Rin murmured under her breath which resulted in Ayame slapping a hand over her own mouth to cover the hysterical laughter threatening to erupt. Sango, Kagome, Banryu, and Bankotsu's two brothers didn't have that kind of self control and all erupted into booming laughter.

Rin grinned sheepishly. "What?! It's true…"

"Oh, god… the turn that this conversation took is one for the history books—ohhh look! Bankotsu is getting ready!" Banryu gleefully called out as she pointed at her boyfriend.

All eyes turned to the middle of the field where the players were getting ready to begin the game. Kagome didn't know _too_ much about soccer, but she knew that Bankotsu and his team looked like they knew _exactly_ what they were doing. The freshmen and sophomore years were going to lose, without a shadow of a doubt. The first years looked nervous and the sophomores weren't in any better shape… the confidence oozing out of the juniors and seniors was tangible.

"Are the juniors and seniors the same guys who played for their freshman and sophomore game?" Kagome asked when she saw Inuyasha take the ball off of what looked like a freshman student.

"Most of them." Banryu confirmed. "Bankotsu, Inuyasha, Kouga, and Miroku were on all of the teams: freshman, sophomore, junior and now senior. A few of the sophomores were on the freshmen team but most of them opt out when they're asked to play again. It's stressful since it's very rare the freshman-sophomore team wins."

"There're are only four records of it ever happening." Renkotsu leaned over to smirk at Kagome. "When Inuyasha's brother was a freshman and sophomore, and when Inuyasha was a freshman and sophomore."

"Those Takahashi boys I tell you," Jakotsu whistled low. "Princess Kaguya of the Moon must've given Kami-sama some moon dust when he was creating those two boys. They are some fine and finely talented specimen I tell you what."

Banryu rolled her eyes and shoved Jakotsu. "Stop fawning over Inuyasha and Sesshomaru."

"I can't help it!"

"Yes, you can. You _have_ a boyfriend, Jakotsu." Renkotsu muttered.

"GOAAAAALL!"

Everybody on the bleachers stood up and starting roaring in cheers for the senior team. Inuyasha managed to land a goal five minutes in to the game. The freshmen and sophomore team looked devastated but pushed on, not wanting to let one goal bring their entire morale down.

"He's good." Sango whispered and Banryu nodded.

"Yes, yes he is."

The game continued until the first half break was called. The senior team had four points and the freshmen team managed to score two. They were doing really well, according to Renkotsu, as freshmen teams don't normally do so well against the seasoned veterans.

Kagome was chatting animatedly with Sango when she felt her phone vibrate in her lap. Glancing down, she saw that Inuyasha texted her. Kagome looked up to see him pointing at his phone, so she did what he was asking her to do: read the text message.

_Inuyasha~  
Banryu and you come down to the field for a sec?_

Kagome nudged Banryu and showed her the phone. Banryu nodded and stood up. Kagome followed suit and smiled at her friends.

"We've been called for a royal assembly." Kagome curtseyed. Banryu snorted and grabbed her by the back of her shirt.

"Come on, queenie."

"Have fun!" Rin waved, with Sango and Ayame waving energetically along with her. Kagome saw a plethora of girls pull out their cell phone and began filming Banryu approaching the senior boys' team. For a split second, Kagome thought she saw a not-so-amused Kikyo but as soon as she caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a bitterly loathsome expression, it disappeared into the crowd.

_Huh?_

"You called, my lord?" Banryu said as the two girls approached the boys. Bankotsu rushed over and gathered Banryu in his arms and kissed her soundly, not caring that hundreds of people were watching. Inuyasha sauntered over to Kagome and held his fist out. Kagome was quick to give him a bump before congratulating him on a great first half of the game.

"We were running on forty seven percent skill level, my dear." Miroku bowed. "I couldn't show off my awesome prowess at the beginning of the year, now could I?"

"You could not, _hogo-sha_." Kagome smiled. Miroku chuckled and pushed Inuyasha out of the way to give Kagome a quick hug.

"Your speed with wit tickles my funny bone. If Inuyasha didn't catch you, I would've reeled you in myself.

"I'm not a fish." Kagome muttered dryly. Inuyasha had both of eyebrows raised as he watched the playful banter between the two of them.

"You two are awfully close." He observed.

Miroku nodded, wrapping an arm around Kagome's shoulder and pulling her into his side. "She's my morning buddy that keeps me company on my walks to the history building. Quite the ray of sunshine in my dull and dreary day."

"Please don't tell me you're majoring in poetry." Kagome said, cautiously. "Because… you aren't that good…"

Kouga boomed in laughter and clapped Miroku on the back. "Damn, Miroku! I think there's enough time to change your major!"

Kagome looked horrified. "Oh, my god! Did you major in poetry?"

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Fortunately, I am not a poetry major. I'm majoring in anthropology with a minor in religious studies."

"Miroku here thinks he understands people." Kouga shook his head. "Three years in, he still doesn't realize he's a shitty people reader."

"Anthropology isn't the study of reading people, idiot." Miroku rolled his eyes. "Bankotsu, why don't you strangle _him_ for a change."

"No thank you." Bankotsu pulled his lips off of Banryu's long enough to retort. "I don't want to sully my hands."

Kouga glowered at him before turning back to Miroku. "He's just weak. He _wishes_ he could take me on!"

Inuyasha used his head to usher Kagome to step away from his friends for a moment. Kagome removed herself from under Miroku's arm and followed Inuyasha.

"Hey!" She grinned widely at him, to which he returned the gesture.

"Hey, yourself. Plans tonight?"

She shook her head. "Other than studying? Nothing, really."

"We're planning a dinner with the team tonight, with plus ones. Will you come?"

Kagome looked over his shoulder to the group of laughing boys. Her eyes flicked back to him.

"Thanks for inviting me but… maybe next time?"

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Kagome blushed and looked at the ground. "I mean, I just met your friends, and they're nice and all! But like… the whole team? And then the forum… and… well… is this too fast?" Kagome's sentence, while starting coherent, ended up becoming a jumbled mess.

Inuyasha laughed, clearly amused. "You shouldn't worry about what other people think, Kagome."

Kagome's blush deepened. "Well, yeah… but I'm not used to the attention, you know?"

"Fair enough. It is a lot for the first week of school, I completely understand… How about I take you out myself this weekend?"

_Calm down, heart. Calm. The. Fuck. Down._ Kagome was trying to do quick breathing exercises while trying to remain calm, cool and collected in front of Inuyasha. She was failing, miserably. Her blush was colouring her cheeks and neck, and she was shaking ever so slightly. It wasn't enough for Inuyasha to notice though, _thank Kami-sama._

"That sounds like a plan." Kagome finally managed to squeeze out. Inuyasha beamed and winked at her.

"Perfect. We'll hash out the details over the phone?"

_He's going to freaking CALL ME?!_ Kagome's face did not reflect the screaming her inner self was doing. "I think that's a good idea. Gives you time to enjoy dinner with your friends."

"Absolutely." Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder in time to see Bankotsu nod at him. "Seem like my time is up. I'll talk to you tonight?"

Kagome nodded and immediately turned around and ran away, not wanting to give herself the opportunity to _potentially_ hug Inuyasha. _I think I'd spontaneously combust if I was in such an intimate position_. Kagome, other than Hojo, didn't have much experience with men. And even _with_ Hojo, that was something that _he_ pursued but they never actually crossed the _full_ intimacy line. Just making out… and some touching, but that's about it. She had cared for Hojo, sure, but god if her heart even beat at one tenth of the speed of what it did with Inuyasha, Hojo would've been lucky.

Kagome fumbled up the steps and pushed past gawking girls to collapse in the seat beside Ayame.

"You parched?" Sango winked and Kagome exhaled loudly.

"I said no to group hangout tonight."

"WHAT?!" Rin roared. The girls around them were quiet, wanting to hear what Kagome was going to say.

"Err… yeah." Kagome decided _not_ to tell the girls that she had a dinner date planned with him that weekend. If the girls around them found out, she'd be the talk of the forum for _centuries_, and while she was _known _within the campus, she didn't want notoriety.

_Too bad it can't be helped now. Literally stuck between a rock and a had place, and I don't want any more attention than necessary_. Unfortunately, Kagome knew that it was too late and she was known all too well. Literally less than a week into the school year and the coveted _King_ had taken her out to hang out with his friends.

On his motorcycle.

That nobody else, apparently, had ridden on.

Or will ever ride on.

_But at least I can control how often I'm seen with him… right?_

"Why would you say NO!?"

Sango nudged Ayame, stopping her from continuing her outburst. "Drop it. I'm sure she has a good reason." Sango knew her best friend better than Kagome knew herself. Sango _knew_ she had a reason, but clearly was not comfortable speaking about it. Kagome sent a thankful smile at her direction and Sango nodded in return.

_I gotchu, girl!_

"TIME FOR THE SECOND HALF!"

Banryu began sprinting across the field to get back to her seat before the game started up again. Kagome lifted up her legs as Banryu shuffled over, squeezing between Sango and Rin; clearly their seating arrangement had shuffled a bit in the commotion.

"You say no?" Banryu asked, leaning forward to look at Kagome.

Kagome shook her head. "Yeah…"

"Oh. That sucks." Banryu pouted. "We need to hang out soon, then!"

"Definitely!"

"INUYASHA SCORES!"

The arena exploded and Kagome stood up, clapping along with her peers. Her eyes were glued onto Inuyasha's lean figure, and her heart thud loudly. _I have no idea what I'm doing… but I'm doing this. I'm handling this situation the best I can…_ She definitely felt something for him, but she was trying to figure out if liking him was strong enough to become a household name amongst her peers so early on in the school year.

_Time'll tell…_

* * *

**I'm trying to show some inner turmoil in Kagome. Think about it: one week in to the school year and she's seeing the supposed campus king. Little old Kagome from Osaka that lived on a shrine with her small family—all the attention would be overwhelming.**

**Ahh, teen angst.**


	7. Wish You Goodnight

"Are you friends with him?"

"How did you two meet?"

"Can you introduce us to him?"

"You're so lucky!"

Kagome smiled politely at all of the comments she received on her trek back to her dorm room with her friends. Banryu bade them farewell at the bleachers before disappearing with Bankotsu's brothers to find Bankotsu. Kagome, initially, wanted to leave quickly enough to dodge nosey onlookers, but her attempt was in vain; she was stopped every step of her walk.

"Girlfriend," Sango hipped Kagome out of the way to stand toe-to-toe with a particularly harassing girl. "If she _wanted_ to introduce you to him, she would've. But she doesn't. So she won't. Bye bye, now." Sango used her shoulder to push the girl out of the way and create a path for Kagome, Ayame, and Rin. Rin leaned over to Kagome in utter awe, whispering:

"Is she always so…"

"Brutish? Yes, yes she is." Kagome nodded causing Sango to shoot a glare at them from over her shoulder.

"So I've had professional fighting lessons growing up with my brother! That doesn't mean I'm a brute… You and Souta could've too!" Sango whirled around and pointed an accusatory finger at Kagome. "But you both took _archery_."

Kagome shrugged, nonchalantly. "If you had the physical strength, I needed to be agile so we'd be a solid team in case we were… I don't know, thrown into the riptide of time and found ourselves centuries in the past?"

Sango chose to ignore the latter part of what Kagome said. "Archers aren't agile." She rolled her eyes. "You just have solid hand-eye coordination. _Ninjas_, on the other hand…"

"Ninja lessons don't actually exist, Sango." Ayame burst her bubble and Sango stuck her tongue out at her friend. Eventually, after what should've been a seven-minute walk (which became closer to twenty because of all the times they were stopped), the girls entered the sanctuary of their dorm. The girls didn't wait a single second; Kagome was bombarded with angry questions.

"Why did you say _no_?!" Rin was the first to explode, Ayame nodding attentively behind her. Sango looped around her roommates to wrap an arm around Kagome, coming to her defense.

"Despite Kagome calling me a brute—"

"Brut_ish_." Kagome enunciated the _ish_ part, to drive home the fact she didn't actually call Sango a brute. Her best friend simply rolled her eyes and proceeded as if the interruption never happened.

"I have to say that I think I know why she said no and I agree with her, wholeheartedly."

Rin and Ayame's eyebrows shot up. "Oh?"

Sango nodded and Kagome crossed her arms, glancing over at her friend. "Do tell?"

Sango removed her arm from Kagome's shoulder and began pacing the length of their dorm room. Ayame and Rin took up residency on Kagome's lower bunk bed and Kagome leaned her butt against the nightstand beside Sango's bunkbed. Three pairs of eyes followed Sango for a long ten seconds before the self-proclaimed not-brutish fighter began speaking.

"We've been going to this school for not even a week and the most popular guy around has his sights set on Kagome." Sango jerked a thumb at her friend. "Kagome's always been a quiet one, the only guy she's ever dated was probably quiet_er_ than her."

"This one's deemed _quiet_?!" Ayame cocked both eyebrows while simultaneously jerking a thumb at Kagome. Sango ignored her, but Kagome stuck her tongue out at a silently giggling Ayame.

"She doesn't like attention, doesn't strive to be popular, and doesn't like that her face is all across the forums—speaking of which, have you been keeping up?" Sango turned to Kagome who shook her head in response. Kagome told her friends she actually hadn't logged in to the forums for a few days now, so she didn't know what the most recent update was. All three girls were impressed that she had the self-control to do so; Rin mumbled something along the lines of: _I would be logging on every twenty minutes, nay, seconds!_

"Anyway! She doesn't like attention, going out with the man and his _teammates_ for a post-victory dinner is _screaming_ for attention. Did you not see how annoyed she was when we kept stopping every other step on the way here?"

Sango looked at Rin to Ayame who both nodded, affirming that they _did_ see Kagome's utterly annoyed expression.

"Thus, in conclusion to my analysis, Kagome hates attention but has a crush on Inuyasha but doesn't yet know if this crush is worth the headache of unnecessary attention." Sango grinned back at Kagome. "Did I hit the nail on the head?"

"You hit all the damn nails on the head," Kagome grinned back. "You know me so well."

Sango dusted the imaginary dirt off of her shoulders. "I have years of life experience to have finally figured your ass out. But a private date isn't so bad, _that_ can be kept on the down low."

"And it's more intimate." Ayame offered.

Kagome sighed and rubbed her face. "It is. I do have a crush on him and it's getting worse by the day—"

"Worse, as in _stronger_?" Rin asked, to which Kagome nodded.

"Yeah. He's so _sweet_ and so… _kind_ and _caring_ and… does perfection exist?" Kagome looked at the ceiling. "Because he's damn well near perfect."

"I'm sure he has _some_ flaw, but it's probably stupid like… he hates the colour orange, or something." Rin mused, tapping her chin. The three girls laughed and decidedly dispersed, getting on with their afternoon. Rin and Sango stepped out, Rin to study in the library and Sango to hit the campus fitness facility. Ayame and Kagome stayed in their dorm, Ayame deciding to take a long nap and Kagome to catch up on some reading—and not the textbook kind. Kagome wanted to crack open one of her romance novels and dive into the fantastical world of princes, princesses, and clichéd kidnappings.

A chapter or so in to her uninterrupted reading time, her phone dinged. Without tearing her eyes away from the page that she was reading, Kagome groped around her bed to find her phone. Bringing it up in front of her face, Kagome finally tore her eyes off of the book and flicked it to her phone—_Inuyasha_.

With speed she didn't think she was capable of, Kagome put her book to the side and swiped up to unlock her phone. Her eyes read his messaged twice before she typed her response.

_Inuyasha~  
I'm glad you came to the game today._

_Kagome~  
It was fun, even though I know nothing of soccer._

_Inuyasha~  
Maybe I should give you a few soccer lessons? You'll need to know some terminologies if you're gonna come and cheer me on._

_Kagome~  
Big assumption there._

_Inuyasha~  
But am I wrong?_

_Kagome~  
Wrong, no. Cocky?... maybe :P_

_Inuyasha~  
I'm not cocky, I just make very well education assumptions. I believe the correct term is _hypotheses_._

Kagome laughed quietly, not wanting to wake Ayame up. The banter between her and Inuyasha over text was so much easier than in person. In _person_ she was a bumbling mess that struggled to form coherent sentences, let alone be witty. Over _text_, however, Kagome was able to be exactly who she was: sarcastic, witty, and a tad bit sassy.

_Kagome~  
Are you at your celebratory dinner?_

_Inuyasha~  
Yep. A few drinks going around…_

_Kagome~  
Are you drinking?_

_Inuyasha~  
Yep._

_Kagome~  
And you've got yourself a designated driver?_

_Inuyasha~  
I'm honoured that you care… and of course I do. One of the boys doesn't drink and I'm hitching a ride back with him._

_Kagome~  
Of course I care. Friends care, remember ;)_

_Inuyasha~  
How could I forget? Can I ask you something?_

Kagome's fingers flew across her phone, typing her replies at a speed she thought was unfathomable. It was crazy how this one single guy could make her feel—happy, giddy, and heart-racingly fantastic.

_Kagome~  
Sure, go for it!_

_Inuyasha~  
Why did you say no?_

Kagome bit her lower lip.

_Kagome~  
I mean… it's not that I didn't want to come out… it's just I'm not used to so much attention and well, if you haven't noticed, you have a giant neon sign over your head that screams PAY ATTENTION TO ME_.

_Inuyasha~  
I do, do I? Never noticed ;)_

_Kagome~  
Well I'm glad I've made it painfully aware for you :P_

_Inuyasha~  
Lol.  
I get you, though… you've probably been stopped a few times these days?_

_Kagome~  
Try every other step!_

_Inuyasha~  
Aw… hey, can I call?_

Kagome's heart was slamming. She glanced at a lightly snoring Ayame (who fell asleep on Sango's bottom bunk) before her eyes flicked to their in-suite bathroom. Picking herself off of the bed, Kagome typed her response as she locked herself in the bathroom.

_Kagome~  
Yep._

Within seconds of her text sending, her phone began ringing. Inhaling deeply, Kagome flung the green answer sign to the right and pressed her phone against her ear. "Hello?" Her voice sounded breathless and she cursed herself for sounding sultrier than she intended to.

"Hey," his voice was husky. Kagome was immediately able to tell he _did_ have a few drinks. _Is this considered a drunk text-to-dial? I don't think so… He texted me without any typos and he asked to call!_ Kagome's mind was abuzz with the endless questions that drew from the single phone call.

"My friends quite like you." Inuyasha finally said. Kagome smiled.

"Yeah? I like them too… Banryu, especially."

"She's a charmer, isn't she?"

Kagome giggled. "Absolutely… hey… um… are you upset I didn't come today?"

"Upset? Not at all… a little sad? Sure."

Kagome's heart was about to rip out of her chest and flop like a fish out of water on the bathroom floor. He wasn't _trying_ to be macho but sharing that he was a little sad was the manliest freaking thing she had ever witnessed in her life. Kagome tried to keep her voice in check, not wanting it to sound shaky and nervous.

"I didn't mean to make you sad…"

"And I don't want you to feel overwhelmed." He replied. "Besides, maybe a private date is better than a group outing?"

_Date? DAATEEE?_ Kagome's insides were on fire. "Absolutely… but no public display of motorcycle?"

His laughter sounded like music to Kagome's ears. "No public display of motorcycle." He promised. "I'll bring my car."

"You have two vehicles on campus? I read that we were only allowed to have one registered vehicle that can park without a monthly fee?"

"Hmmm," his tone was so earthy and masculine it was driving Kagome insane. "The car is registered under Miroku at the school for free parking privileges. He doesn't have a car here, but I let him borrow mine."

"How kind of you."

"Like you say, friends take care of friends."

A comfortable silence enveloped them and Kagome listened to the bustle that was happening in the background. She heard somebody say something to him, and he replied promptly before breaking the silence with Kagome.

"Does Saturday at seven sound good?"

Kagome stuttered. "S-sure… where?"

"How about I surprise you? Dress casually… and meet me at the coffee shop off campus? The one you were at the second time you bumped into me?"

Kagome smiled at the memory. "Sounds good. Which car am I looking out for?"

"Black Lexus."

"_Hmmmm_…" Kagome sounded amused and Inuyasha chuckled.

"It was a gift from my brother…"

"Was it now?"

"Okay, not a _gift_, but he was there when I bought it." Kagome laughed at his admittance of the truth. _And he's funny?! Oh maaaannn, I might as well tell him I love him and to give me loads of babies._

"I appreciate the honesty."

She heard him smile. "Thank you… I'm gonna have to let you go now, but can you tell me something?"

"Sure!"

"Tell me it's okay for me to call you goodnight every night?"

Kagome's breath hitched. She was unable to answer, so Inuyasha filled the silence. "If you tell me it's okay, I'll do it… starting tonight, when I get home."

"It's okay…"

"Good. I'll talk to you tonight, Kagome?"

"Yeah…"

"Bye."

"Bye…"

The phone disconnected. Kagome pulled the phone off of her ear and stared at her, her blush game strong and her heart pounding on point. It was a little cheesy, but _god_ did it make her heart race uncontrollably. Kagome genuinely appreciated the fact that he sought her permission to call her and didn't assume that it was okay to do so—_even though I'm pretty damn well sure he knows it's more than okay for him to call me goodnight every night_.

Allowing herself a few moments to calm down, Kagome flushed the toilet (in case Ayame was awake and waiting for her) and left the comfort of the bathroom. One peek at Ayame and Kagome knew that the girl was out cold and her nap was going to turn into a full night of sleep…

_Alright, let's put this behind us and go back to our book…_ Kagome knew her attempts to get Inuyasha off of her mind would be in vain, but it was worth a shot. She couldn't every well think of the man every breathing second of the day!

* * *

It was half an hour to midnight and Kagome's three friends were sound asleep. No matter how much she tossed and turned, Kagome could not fall asleep since her mind was too busy worrying about _potentially _missing Inuyasha's call. The rational part of her brain tried to explain to the irrational part that _if_ Inuyasha intended to call, he would've done it at a time he knew she was awake.

The _irrational_ part didn't listen, and thus Kagome's insomnia persisted. She thanked the gods above that she had a relatively late day the following day. Her first class started at eleven, giving her an extra hour or so of sleep—_an extra hour if I fell asleep on time, that is._

Groaning, Kagome flipped over to her right when she felt her phone vibrate beside her. With lightning speed, Kagome unplugged it from the charger and unlocked it, feeling giddy when she saw it was a text from Inuyasha.

_Inuyasha~  
Hey, sorry… celebratory dinner went on longer than expected. Are you awake?_

_Kagome~  
Yeah, finishing my novel and didn't realize it got so late._

_You filthy liar_. Kagome scolded herself, but it was better than telling him the truth: 'I can't sleep because I really like you and the fact that we could be talking until the break of dawn makes me happy and elated and _I just can't fucking sleep_.' Kagome would rather be pantsed in front of all of Shuto before exposing the truth to Inuyasha.

Her phone began buzzing and Kagome had to swallow her scream. She saw Inuyasha's number flash on her display—_he's calling me_! It took her a brief second to calm her racing heart – racing because she hadn't anticipated her phone to ring – before she answered the call.

"Hello?" Her voice was a whisper, she didn't want to wake her friends.

"Sorry I'm calling you so late…"

"That's alright." Kagome turned to the right and pulled her body pillow up, hugging it tightly as she fought the massive grin that slowly inched across her face. Hearing his voice made her happy and she didn't know such a feat was possibly, _especially_ since she'd probably only known of his existence for… less than five days?!

"Hakkaku just dropped us home." She heard him yawn. "But I wanted to call you… what book are you reading?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "Umm… you wouldn't like it…"

"Is it saucy erotica?"

_Oh my god!_ Kagome was glad they were on the phone; she didn't want him to see her blush. "It's… not exactly PG13…"

"Hmmmm…" She heard him smile. "So, it's saucy erotica, then."

"Hey! A good romance novel will almost always have _somewhat_ of a sex scene in it. It's not a porn lite novel." Kagome would've been offended if she didn't know he was teasing her. The soft lilt in his voice told her that he wasn't serious at all, but that he was simply trying to get a rise out of her.

"Touché." Inuyasha smiled. "What's it called?"

Kagome sighed in defeat. "Stolen Concubine…"

"… so saucy erotica?" His voice sounded genuinely surprised and Kagome jumped in to defend herself.

"No! It's about a Queen that runs away from her duty, only to be kidnapped by bandits and gifted to a neighbouring King as a concubi—oh, fine. Yes. It's freaking saucy erotica." Kagome grumbled, defeated. Inuyasha's laughter filled her soul and she couldn't help but giggle alongside with him.

"I'm not judging you, Kagome. I'm just trying to learn who you are…"

"And you'll know that by asking about the literature I read?"

"Hmm… I enjoy a good mystery myself."

"Oh? I wish I could enjoy mystery… I'm one of _those_ people that needs to read the last few pages of a novel before reading the whole thing just to know if it'll be happily ever after, or not."

Inuyasha's chest rumbled in laughter, and Kagome heard the throaty sound. "And I _hate_ spoilers."

"Darn, I guess this won't work then, will it?"

"I never said I wasn't going to try." Inuyasha breathed. "We'll find a way to work around this incompatibility, hmm?"

"I guess we will…" Kagome whispered. She squeezed her body pillow harder and asked him the question her rational and irrational sides were begging her not to: "Why are you talking to me?"

"Because I enjoy your company?" Inuyasha smirked. She _heard_ him smirk.

Kagome sighed. "No, no… I mean… according to everyone, you haven't dated for your entire university career."

"Correct."

"But you want to talk to me?"

"Again, correct."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

_Damn._ Kagome groaned inwardly. _He isn't going to tell me…_ Somehow, she already knew that.

"I guess…" Kagome didn't know what else to say and wanted to kick herself for being so impossibly awkward. _He's probably going to hang up now and this is the end of our potential love story._ Kagome didn't know why that thought made her heart hurt.

"Nobody's caught my eye like you did, there's nothing more to it." Inuyasha finally said after a few moments. "I just want to get to know you better…"

Kagome smiled. "That's fair. Any regrets so far?"

"Absolutely none. You?"

"I mean, I'm basically a celebrity now and that _kind_ of sucks."

"Not a good enough reason to leave me, just so you know." Inuyasha grinned and Kagome's heart skipped a beat. She _heard_ the smile in his voice and it was driving her insane.

"Duly noted."

"I think it's about time I say goodnight… I have an eight AM tomorrow." Inuyasha revealed. "We'll chat tomorrow?"

"For sure. Goodnight, Inuyasha."

"Goodnight, Kagome…"

* * *

Kagome was crossing the quadrangle after class, fumbling with her bag while doing so in an attempt to get her phone out. She could _hear_ it ringing, but she couldn't find the damned thing. Finally, just when she thought the line was going to disconnect, Kagome found her phone and quickly swiped to answer, not bothering to look at who was calling.

"Hello?"

"Onee-chan!"

Kagome grinned, hearing her brother's voice. She slipped her backpack on and turned all of her attention to her conversation. "Hey, squirt! How are you?"

"Pretty good, thought I'd check in on you."

Kagome grinned as she approached a streetlight. She was heading to the coffee shop off campus to get some studying done before taking four lattes back to her dorm for her friends. "Should I start calling you onii-chan from now on?"

"You might as well, imotou-chan."

Kagome started laughing, taking a step off of the sidewalk as soon as the light turned green. "I _dare_ you to say that in front of Mama."

"She'd kick my ass… you coming to visit anytime soon?"

"No plans as of yet." Kagome said, dejectedly. She wanted to see her family so bad. "Still adjusting to university life, but I'll let you know. At this rate, you're looking at Christmas holidays."

"That sucks." Souta muttered.

"Tell me about it… how's Kohaku?" Kagome was walking fast and made it a point to dodge straggling pedestrians.

"He's good. I think he stays at our place more than his… Not that I'm complaining, really." Sango and Kohaku's parents passed away when they were younger so they were taken up by their maternal aunt and her husband. Kagome knew that they weren't fond of their aunt and uncle –some familial drama—and often times the siblings would spend a few days at the Higurashi shrine instead of home.

Kagome's mother welcomed them as if they were her own children, and for that reason Sango and Kohaku became even closer to the Higurashi siblings.

"How's school?"

"The usual," Kagome heard Souta shuffle a few things around. "I think I'm going to break up with Hitomi…"

"And why?"

"I dunno… I just… don't feel it anymore?"

"Anything in particular?"

"No? I dunno… when she's with me I'm happy but when she isn't, I get second thoughts. I'm so confused. Is this how you felt with Hojo?"

Kagome grimaced. "Well, not exactly—" _how do you tell your brother that you lost sexual interest in some one before even having sex with them? Is that an acceptable thing to say to your _younger_ brother?_ Kagome opted _not_ to disclose to Souta one of the reasons why she decided to end it with Hojo. "Long distance is a bitch, you know?"

"I guess—_COMING! –_ gotta go, onee-can. Mama wants me to help Jii-chan sweep the steps."

Kagome giggled, slowing her walking pace when the café came in to view. "Some things never change?"

"Nope. Come visit soon. Love you!"

"Love you too, bye."

Shaking her head in amusement, Kagome brought her phone down and glanced at it for a second to end the call. All it took, however, was a second before she walked into a tall wall of pure muscle. Stumbling back, Kagome straightened up to see an extremely amused Inuyasha, donned in black track pants, a navy-blue shirt and a leather jacket. His helmet was on but his visor was up, giving her full view of his twinkling ochre eyes.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Kagome laughed, not at all surprised that she bumped in to him.

"This is fate." Inuyasha placed a hand on his heart. "Third time is the charm and I think that you should just take the Takahashi last name now, at the rate we're going."

Kagome slapped his arm playfully. "You're following me, aren't you?"

"_No_," Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "I wasn't. Tetsusaiga needed a wax so I brought her around the corner."

Kagome frowned. "_Who_?"

Inuyasha jerked his thumb over to a motorcycle shop just a few buildings down from the café. "Tetsusaiga? My motorcycle?"

"You… named it…"

"Well, yeah." Inuyasha pulled his helmet off. "She's the first love of my life, I have to name her."

Kagome laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "You're something else." It made Kagome very happy to see that she wasn't shaking with jittery nerves. Perhaps she was getting accustomed to Inuyasha's domineering presence and sinfully good looks.

_Mostly_ the domineering presence part.

"Why thank you—" Inuyasha ushered at her phone that was still clutched in her hand. "Important call?"

"Fishing for the person I was talking to?" Kagome teased and Inuyasha's lip tugged. "_Jealous_?"

"I neither confirm nor deny."

Kagome snorted. "It's my baby brother. Girl troubles…"

"Oh?" Inuyasha raised both eyebrows and Kagome nodded. She used her head to usher to the café that was just a short distance from where they were standing.

"If you have time, maybe we can grab a coffee and I can pick your brain for some expert male advice?"

Inuyasha grinned. "Are you asking me out, Miss Higurashi?"

Kagome's eyes widened, realizing exactly how her proposition sounded. Spluttering, she couldn't stop the blush from creeping up from her neck to become fully ablaze on her cheeks. _I was doing so well!_ Inuyasha witnessed the change in her skin tone and grinned stupidly, clearly very entertained by the whole situation.

"I'm not… I mean… _never mind_!" Kagome tried to side step from him and walk away from the situation altogether, but Inuyasha was quicker. He caught her wrist as she moved to walk past him and tugged her back towards him. Kagome's eyes snapped to where his fingers were curled around her small wrist up to his twinkling eyes.

"You may pick my brain. Tetsusaiga won't be ready for another hour, anyway. Do you mind if I intrude on what probably was a solitary study session?" Inuyasha's eyes searched Kagome's and she had to look away, the intensity becoming too much.

_I know what he's doing_. Kagome thought. _He's trying to turn the tables so it sounds like he's asking _me_ instead of the other way around._

Chivalry at it's best.

"You can, if you want. I meant I'm not forcing you… it's your choice—ahh!" Kagome let out a shriek when Inuyasha tugged at her wrist—the wrist he had yet to let go of.

"I want to. Let's go?" When his fingers released his grip on her wrist, Kagome immediately felt some sort of loss in her core. Gulping, Kagome nodded and walked in tandem with him to the café. Inuyasha waved down a waitress as he held out a chair for Kagome in their outdoor patio. Quietly thanking him, Kagome slipped in to her seat and placed her backpack down beside her.

"Large black coffee for me and…" Inuyasha looked over at Kagome. "What would you like?"

"Oh! Uh… medium dark roast, milk and sugar on the side."

The waitress nodded and scurried off to prepare their orders. Inuyasha leaned back in his seat, his left leg stretching out to reach the side of Kagome's chair. Inhaling deeply, Kagome placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin over her interlaced fingers. "You really didn't… need to entertain me."

"Nonsense. Tell me about this situation with your brother?"

Kagome tilted her head slightly the left and quickly gave him a rundown of the situation: how Souta felt when he was around his girlfriend versus the second thoughts he got when he wasn't with her. How he wanted to break up with her but didn't at the same time… how he was so utterly confused and Kagome didn't have any experience on the matter so she was unable to help him the way she wanted to.

Inuyasha seemed intrigued. "You _don't_ have experience on the matter?"

Kagome took a long sip of her coffee and shook her head. "Not at all. I've had only one boyfriend and I never had any turmoil over it… I mean, the kind of turmoil Souta is probably experiencing."

"Please explain?"

Kagome blew at the rim of her coffee, trying to cool it down before taking another sip. "We broke up before I decided to come to Shuto… mostly because it would've been long distance but other factors were involved."

"Like?"

Kagome's eyes rose from her coffee cup to meet Inuyasha's interested orbs. "You're trying to find out about my past relationships, aren't you?"

"Not at all," Inuyasha sipped his coffee. "I'm just trying to understand your experience on the subject at hand before I give you the advice your brother needs."

"You are _really_ bad at lying."

Inuyasha laughed. "Can't blame a guy for being curious, now can you?"

"And what about you then?" Kagome

Inuyasha shrugged with disinterest. "I dated a girl in high school. Didn't work out so I ended it." The note of finality in his tone suggested that he refused to elaborate. Kagome chewed on her lower lip, remembering that Miroku told her it was _his_ story to tell. She didn't want to push it, so she dropped the topic.

"So what's your expert male advice?" Kagome prompted and Inuyasha half-smiled at her. She was glad that they moved off their exes.

"If it isn't one hundred percent, then he shouldn't force himself to stick around. He'll resent it and trust me, resenting the relationship is way worse than regretting your decision." Kagome wanted to ask how he was so sure about that, but went against her judgement. There was clearly a history behind his words and seeing as they had only been talking for less than a week, Kagome figured it wasn't her place to know as of yet.

"That's very good advice. I'll let Souta know." Kagome leaned back in her chair. "It's hard giving advice on things you have no experience in."

Inuyasha nodded while taking a slow sip of his coffee. "Always here for expert male advice."

"Much appreciated." Kagome smiled, holding her coffee cup out. Inuyasha brought his forward and clinked it against hers before they both took a small sip. "Are you sure you aren't stalking me?"

"You bumped in to _me_ three times." Inuyasha's eyes twinkled. "I think it's part of your ploy to seduce me."

"And why would I want to do that?"

"For matrimonial rights to the giant neon sign above my head?"

Kagome threw her head back and laughed. Inuyasha smiled warmly, watching her enjoy the moment with zero inhibitions. A wind picked up, but nothing that Kagome or Inuyasha paid any mind too. In fact, the wind itself amplified that very moment for the both of them.

"Can I get a hint on where we're going on Saturday?"

"Not at all." Inuyasha finished the rest of his coffee with a quick tip of his cup. "It wouldn't be a surprise otherwise."

"But we established I like spoilers." Kagome pouted.

"And we also established that I do not. Therefore, nothing will be spoiled." Inuyasha glanced at his phone that was resting on the café table when it began ringing. Kagome turned her attention to her coffee mug as Inuyasha answered his call.

"Takahashi."

Kagome heard a male voice say some incoherent words. She saw Inuyasha nod after the man was done talking. "Yeah, sounds good. Tetsusaiga should be ready shortly, I'll be over soon?"

A few more moments and Inuyasha hung up, an apologetic look on his face. "Family calls. I'll talk to you tonight?"

Kagome nodded, wondering what was happening but didn't have the chops to ask him. Inuyasha pulled out a few yen from his pocket but Kagome balked, shoving it back into his hand when he tried to put it on the table. "No, no, no! I asked you to join me, you will _not_ be paying."

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Kagome…"

"I said no! Just because you're the man doesn't mean you have to pay… if it's gonna be like that, I'm cancelling Saturday for sexism!" She was serious and that made Inuyasha chuckle. He pocketed his money and tilted his head to the right, just slightly, while studying the girl standing before him.

"You're passionate about this?"

"Of course I am!"

"Very well." Inuyasha held his fist out and grinned expectantly at Kagome. Shoulders sagging, as the moment riled her up, she bumped his fist.

"Talk to you tonight?"

"For sure." Kagome smiled as Inuyasha picked his helmet off of the table began walking towards the motorcycle shop. Kagome watched his retreating figure and was caught off guard when he stopped halfway out of the patio of the café to glance over his shoulder.

"Kagome?"

"Yes?" Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweaty. She needed a shot of something strong after this; maintaining an aura of calm, cool, and collectedness was taking a toll on her. _A shot and a nap before he riles me up – in a good way – tonight._

Inuyasha smirked. "Nothing." And he broke in to a light jog towards where his motorcycle was. Kagome brought her right hand up and pressed it against her chest, feeling the pounding of her heart against her ribcage.

_If he continues being the way he is, my ass is going into cardiac arrest._ Slouching down further in to her seat, Kagome stared at the cup he was drinking out of.

_He's so mysterious yet an open book at the same time._ Kagome looked up to the building where his bike was. _How does he do that?_


	8. Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away

Kagome tried to stifle her yawn as she stood behind four people in the campus canteen line bright and early on Saturday morning. She was waiting to get her morning coffee before she truly began her day of pure administration work: pick up her student ID card (there was an error in the spelling of her surname), check on the archery tryouts timings (as she received an email from the archery team last night inviting her for a tryout session seeing as she registered her name during the campus fair), drop by the student centre to get information on internships offered by her department, and sort out her agenda for all of her assignments and exam dates that were outlined on her course syllabi.

Cracking her neck, once to the left then to the right, Kagome pulled her phone out of her back pocket and decided to scroll through her social media until it was her turn next in line. She saw the small email icon staring at her from her icon bar; _I didn't feel my phone vibrate when this came in…_ Kagome pulled her icon bar down and clicked on the email button, pulling up her personal inbox.

'From: Horai, Dai  
Subject: Book Restoration Club

Hello;

Thank you for your interest in the Book Restoration Club. We will be hosting our first meet and greet tonight at five PM – we apologize for the last-minute invite, there were some technical difficulties in arranging our first meeting. We will be gathered in Hall E in the New History Building and will most probably be meeting for about an hour to get to know each other and work out a schedule that works for all of us.

There are six members in total, including myself excluding our Teaching Assistant (henceforth will be referred to as TA). I am attaching all of your names to this email, however I have BCC'd your email addresses for privacy; if you are okay with having your email known, please REPLY ALL to this email. We hope that you can make it out today.

MEMBERS:  
Horai, Dai  
Horai, Roku  
Higurashi, Kagome  
Togenkyo, Tokajin  
Kitsune, Shippo  
Sanda, Souten

Thank you,

Horai Dai'

Kagome glanced up and took a step forward when one more patron had been helped. She looked back down at her phone and quickly pressed Reply All –_and adding Book Restoration meeting to my list of million other things to do today before I meeting Inuyasha–_:

'Hello everybody,

Looking forward to meeting you all. I am Higurashi Kagome but you can all call me Kagome :)

Take care,

Kagome'

Email sent and Kagome had only one more person in front of her before she was next in line. She covered her mouth with her left hand to, once again, stifle her yawn. Halfway through what was probably the _best_ yawn in her life, she was shoved playfully by one of Inuyasha's 'goonies', Bankotsu. Kagome looked over at him with surprise and quickly noted how all eyes languidly travelled to her, quite possibly thinking 'what is this freshman doing with the King's friend?'.

"You seem tired?" Bankotsu asked, arms crossed in front of his chest. Kagome noted that he was very similar in height and build to Inuyasha, but unlike the so-called King, Bankotsu didn't maintain a resting-bitch-face. Not that Inuyasha _did_, he just seemed significantly more stoic than his friends when out in public. Kagome, however, had been privy to his other side and she had to admit that she liked it.

A lot.

"I don't function without my morning coffee." Kagome mumbled. "Are you butting in line?"

"Absolutely." Bankotsu snickered. "Why else do we think we keep girls around us?"

"Clearly because we're punctual and line up like every other regular human being only so that you can come join us in line and don't have to wait… like every single other regular human being." Kagome's eyebrows began slowly furrowing as she blurted out her quip. Bankotsu's grin also widened while she spoke, his amusement skyrocketing. When Bankotsu was sure Kagome was done, he did nothing but nod and wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"_Exactly_! See, you belong in the cool kids club."

Kagome laughed. "You're cheating by schmoozing your way into line with me. That automatically makes you _un_cool."

"Kagome, you're hurting my feelings."

"Suck it up, buttercup."

Bankotsu snorted as he and Kagome stepped up to the counter. He grinned down at her and ushered his head for her to order first. Kagome rolled her eyes and clutched her meal card in her hand, refusing to give Bankotsu the potential opportunity to pay for her.

"Sesame seed bagel, twice toasted with lite cream cheese and cucumber slices on it, and a large coffee dark roast blend." Kagome tried to shove Bankotsu to the side when he placed his meal card on the counter. Bankotsu was thoroughly amused at how cute Kagome was being and allowed her the moment to _believe_ she was strong enough to push him out of the way. The server watched with no expression, there wasn't anything he _hadn't_ seen working at the cash register of the campus coffee shop.

"And just a large coffee for me, blonde roast." Bankotsu wrapped his arm around Kagome's shoulder and pulled her against his chest as he passed his card to the cashier. Kagome thrashed against him, finally pushing him away and glaring at him with all the hatred she had in the world.

"Bankotsu!"

"You saved me a spot in line; I pay for your meal. Isn't that a fair trade?"

"No! Ugh, you boys. Why do you think girls can't provide for themselves?" Kagome huffed as she and Bankotsu walked over to the Pick-Up counter. Bankotsu smirked and crossed his arms, leaning his body against the counter.

"Did Inuyasha try to pay for you?"

"Yes. No. Does it matter?"

"It's called chivalry, Kagome. We do it because we _want_ to. And because we're genuinely nice guys."

Kagome eyed him warily. "Well I _don't_ want you to. Please? If I need you to pay for me, trust me I will ask you for your money. But, until that day comes, I can provide for myself so don't provide for me. Got me?"

"You are a sassy one, aren't you?" Bankotsu whistled low. He tipped his head at the server who brought their drinks and Kagome's bagel to them. "You're spirited, I'll give you that. A tad bit opinionated, but opinion is the spice of life—so you're an overall winner. I think I'll butt in your line more often." With a final wink, Bankotsu sipped his coffee and strut off, oblivious to all of the stares that he was receiving from the female populous.

Kagome inwardly groaned. _I don't even need Inuyasha to up my popularity ante. His friends do a good enough job for him._ Kagome wondered what the next article on the forum was going to be. _I can see it now: **Kagome seen exchanging witty banter with Bankotsu—what'll ever happen to our beloved King?! Is his heart broken already?** _Kagome shivered in disgust. She decided it was high time she perused the forum to see _what_ exactly was written about her. She knew her pictures were peppered throughout thanks to her friends, but she needed to see it for herself.

* * *

"Let's see…" Kagome's eyes scanned the archery tryout list and saw that her name was posted at a time and date that worked for her schedule. She quickly input that in to her cellphone calendar before routing herself to go to the student centre. Ayame called her a little while ago to check up on her and to see if she wanted to join the girls for lunch, but Kagome had to politely decline. With all of the things she had planned for the day, she literally had no time to see her friends. She promised Ayame that they'd do brunch the next day and Ayame was all too happy to oblige.

Kagome was going to kill two birds with one stone: pick up her student card and check out the availability of her obtaining an internship. Well, it would be more like three birds, Kagome was planning on booting up her tablet and scroll through the campus forum.

There was no lineup at the student centre so Kagome was quickly able to retrieve her updated student ID card and grab a few pamphlets about potential internship opportunities. Finding an empty corner desk, Kagome nestled herself into the little alcove and curled up into the cushiony chair. She pulled her tablet out and quickly logged in to her account on the forum; one she created on her first day of class but hadn't really used much.

_Let's see…_

Kagome swiped up, seeing the different articles that were published on the forum. There were a few that had her face in it, but nothing _too_ damaging. There were a couple of pictures of her getting on Inuyasha's motorcycle, and a lot of speculation over who she was. Apparently, a common rumour was that she was a childhood friend of Inuyasha's, which is why he paid extra special attention to her.

One of the posts claimed she had black priestess magic, of old, and she cursed Inuyasha.

_So likely. _Kagome inwardly rolled her eyes, wondering which idiot decided to sit at their computer and type up an entire blog about how Kagome had black magic and seduced Inuyasha Takahashi. There seemed to be a whole bunch of pictures from when he invited himself to have lunch with her, but it seemingly tapered down. Kagome assumed it was because she and Inuyasha weren't seen out in public _as_ much. A few shots of her giving him a fist bump at the soccer game here, the odd image of her and one of his friends there… but overall it seemed a lot tamer than Kagome anticipated.

_Once upon a time my face _was_ all over the forum._ Kagome scrolled up and was amused to see an article of her and Bankotsu posted less than three minutes ago.

**King Inuyasha's friends seeing cozying up with the freshman… what could this mean?**

_Okay, slight exaggeration. It's not _tame_ exactly, but significantly tamer than day one._ Kagome put her tablet back into sleep mode and slipped it into her backpack. She took a quick glance around the student centre and leaned her head against the backrest of her chair.

_I think I'll take a breather…_ Kagome pulled her book out of her backpack and decided to take an hour or so to just read and calm her nerves down. She'd been on the run all day, and with the clock striking closer to seven, Kagome was becoming increasingly anxious.

_Let's just read me some saucy erotica._ A smile tugged at her lips as she recalled her conversation with Inuyasha.

* * *

_Kagome~  
I have a meet with the book restoration club at 5. It's supposed to be an hour, but I'll keep you updated?_

_Inuyasha~  
Sounds good. Very last minute?_

_Kagome~  
Tell me about it, but how else do I wanna spend my Saturday? Meeting strangers, of course :D_

_Inuyasha~  
I hope I'm not lumped in to the same category as stranger?_

_Kagome~  
You may as well be…_

_Inuyasha~  
Ahh, but I believe you know me pretty well._

_Kagome~  
Doubt it. Try me! I don't even know your birthday, star sign, favourite colour, and lucky number :P_

_Inuyasha~  
March 23, Aries, red, and 5. Yourself?_

Kagome blinked at her phone. He replied instantaneously to her quip and she was slightly taken aback. After she read a chapter of her novel Kagome decided to be the first one to reach out to Inuyasha. He had messaged her earlier that day and they exchanged a few texts before he had to stop texting. She didn't mention the whole incident with Bankotsu… she found there to be no need. Kagome, in hindsight, figured he was doing it simply because he was a good guy.

Just as Inuyasha offered to pay for their coffee for the same reason.

_Kagome~  
October 13, Libra, green, and 3. Hmmm, if my astrology is correct (which it probably isn't), Aries and Libra are opposites so while their friendship may be difficult to foster at first, it can become an explosive relationship._

_Inuyasha~  
Friendship? Very diplomatic of you, Miss Higurashi._

_Kagome~  
Comes naturally, I assure you._

_Inuyasha~  
Lol! What're you up to?_

_Kagome~  
Just finished some errands at the student centre. I'm just waiting for 5 to roll around so I can go to this meet and greet…_

Kagome glanced outside when she saw a bright flash. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw storm clouds quickly approaching. She didn't know that a storm was on the forecast, and that could potentially put a damper on her evening. _How am I supposed to go home and get changed if it starts pouring?_

_Inuyasha~  
Would it be presumptuous of me to say that I hope you're a little excited for our dinner plans?_

_Kagome~  
Not at all, I'm super freaking excited!_

_Inuyasha~  
Glad to hear :)_

_Kagome~  
So… I took a look at the forums today *blush*_

_Inuyasha~  
Hmmm… and?_

Kagome grinned, almost _hearing_ the way he asked that last question. Her thumbs sped over her keyboard, typing out her reply as quickly and as accurately as she could.

_Kagome~  
Not bad… I got more attention for having lunch with you on day one. Motorcycle day is second popular._

_Inuyasha~  
So not as bad as you thought?_

_Kagome~  
Not really, but I'm still getting used to being stopped in the hallways. Is signing my autograph part of the deal?_

_Inuyasha~  
Well… I haven't._

_Kagome~  
Yet._

_Inuyasha~  
;)_

Kagome smiled at her phone before putting it on the table. She noted it was close to half past four so she decided to pack up and slowly make her way to the new history building. Kagome knew there was a network that connected all of the buildings together, but she had yet to figure that out. The only way Kagome could ensure she would arrive at the building on time was if she stepped outside and sprinted across the courtyard.

Before it started raining.

"Alright," Kagome put her phone in her pocket, "let's do this!"

* * *

"I fold." Inuyasha glanced at his three friends as he placed his cards faced down on the table.

Kouga frowned, looking from Inuyasha, to Miroku, to Bankotsu. He hadn't anticipated Inuyasha to fold first, but there was a first time for everything. Bankotsu nodded and Miroku took a long swig from his bottle of beer.

"Did Kagome stop texting back?" Bankotsu nodded at the phone that was resting next to Inuyasha's knee.

Inuyasha shrugged one shoulder before standing up, sauntering over to the small mini fridge they had in their dorm suite. His last message to Kagome was a little while ago, but he kept his phone out in case she messaged him.

Inuyasha wanted to nurse another bottle of beer before getting ready for his date with Kagome. If anybody was surprised over his interest in her, it was definitely _himself_. Inuyasha had a proven track record of not becoming smitten over a woman, but there he was bending over backwards to ensure this girl who he had _literally_ met a week ago was smiling at any given moment of the day.

And he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out why.

All he remembered was her colliding in to him and Tetsusaiga on her first day of class and locking eyes with him. He remembered taking one look at her icy blue pools and he was a goner… all he could do after that moment was eat, sleep, breathe, and drink Higurashi Kagome. It made zero sense to him; he didn't think he could be so affected at first sight by anybody. On top of _that_, she had a personality for the history books. _Ironic as she's a history major_.

Not to mention the sass and wit.

Sure, she had her moments of being _incredibly_ shy, but Inuyasha learned over the three years and counting that he went to Shuto University that he had that sort of commanding presence, and Kagome was evidently not immune to it. But he didn't try to seduce her, though; he didn't try to use his masculine wiles… he genuinely wanted to get to know her and for the life of him, he couldn't find any other reason than **'I just want to'**.

And that made no sense to him.

And _that_ scared the living shit out of the normally stoic Takahashi Inuyasha.

"Phone!" Miroku barked and Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder to see his phone alit, buzzing on top of the table. He used his canine tooth—which was unusually sharper than the rest of the human populous—to snap off the cap of the beer bottle while taking three strides back to the makeshift poker table that his friends created. He picked up his phone to see Kagome calling him and his heart began mercilessly pounding against his chest. This was the first time _she_ was calling _him_.

"Hello?" Inuyasha pressed the phone against his ear and went to go lounge on his bed. Talking to Kagome and sipping languidly from a cold beer bottle—_that_ was the life. Inuyasha eyed his friends warily as they shuffled all of the cards and proceeded to play a game that didn't require Inuyasha's participation.

"Hey…" She sounded unsure and breathless. Inuyasha frowned.

"Something wrong?"

"Um… it's pouring… and the history building is locked… and the book restoration club isn't responding to my email and…"

Inuyasha leapt off the bed and yanked his dorm room curtain aside. His eyes widened seeing the massive storm that raged outside of his window. _How did I not hear this?_ He turned his attention back to a clearly distraught Kagome. "Where are you?"

"Bus shelter beside the new history building…"

"I'll be there. Five minutes. My bike."

When he heard her whisper a soft _okay_, Inuyasha immediately grabbed his bike key and helmet from his night stand while simultaneously putting his beer bottle down. His friends looked at him, clearly confused but he paid them no heed. Inuyasha retrieved his leather jacket from the hook hanging next to the door and managed to grab one of his sweaters as well, he was almost positive Kagome would be freezing. Rain was merciless, especially to those that were unfortunate enough to be caught up in a storm. The door didn't even click shut behind him before Inuyasha's friends began speculating.

"Kagome?" Miroku asked and the other two nodded.

"Kagome." Kouga affirmed.

"_Kaaa_gome." Bankotsu echoed.

* * *

Inuyasha manoeuvred his motorcycle through the campus and, indeed, found Kagome huddled under a bus stand. It was pouring, with sporadic lightening shocks followed by bellowing thunder. Not a single soul was seen on the streets and that only urged Inuyasha to get to Kagome faster. She was leaning against the inside wall, her head down as she scrolled through her phone. When the sound of his bike reached her ears, Kagome looked up and her eyes immediately lit up, tugging at Inuyasha's heartstrings. He leapt off of his motorcycle and jogged to meet Kagome in the shelter while shrugging his jacket off. Underneath, he was wearing the sweater.

"You okay?" He breathed, wrapping the jacket around her shoulder before taking his helmet off.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah… the reply from the club ended up in my junk mail —cancelling due to the storm— and I never saw it. I'm so sorry… none of my girlfriends were picking up and—"

"I'm glad you can rely on me." Inuyasha interrupted her. "Do you want to go back and change before our date tonight?"

Kagome looked at herself, she was partially soaked and her hair was in utter disarray. Looking up at Inuyasha, she noted that he wasn't as bad as her but he was probably in the rain for a lot less time than she was. She, rather quickly, weighed the pros and cons in her head: if Inuyasha took her home to change, he'd be in the rain waiting for her as it was an all-girls dormitory and boys were not allowed in, not even in the waiting area unless it was to help one of the girls move in before start of term. That would mean _he_ would be soaking wet by the time she got ready.

On the flip side, if they went back to his place to change, she would be in the same situation.

"Is there… a no-wet-clothing policy where we're going tonight?"

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up. "Not that I know of. It's fairly casual…"

Kagome grinned. "Then let's just go. I'm getting hungry and the rain isn't stopping anytime soon… if anything, can we stop by my dorm so I can grab my helmet?"

Inuyasha's grin matched hers. "Wear mine. Where we're going isn't _too_ far—ten minutes, tops? We'll be fine and I'll take back roads."

Kagome frowned. "I don't think—"

"Please just trust me?"

Looking in to his eyes, all Kagome could do was hear the patter of the rain beat to the rhythm of her heart. Everything she was doing at that moment went against the very fibre of everything she believed in. She didn't like inconveniencing anybody, but she knew that if Inuyasha was in her position she'd be there to help him in a heartbeat. He had said that he wanted to take care of her, and when the other three girls weren't available, all Kagome could do was think about reaching out to him. He didn't even hesitate, rushing into the rain on his motorcycle to come to her aide and, for some reason, the moment just kept getting better and better.

Would a little rain kill her? No.

But would she ever, in her lifetime, get the chance to say that she drove in the rain on a motorcycle with the hottest guy in university? Probably not.

_Let's just do this._ Kagome inhaled deep and looked at Inuyasha sharply.

"Don't drive recklessly?"

"I never do."

"Inuyasha…" There was warning in her tone. His smirk widened.

"Again, just trust me?"

"Not with your life!"

"You don't trust me with _my_ life?" Inuyasha looked faux-offended. "If you don't trust me to keep _me_ alive, how are you ever going to trust me with _your_ life?!"

Kagome grinned as she slipped her helmet on. The visor was already up so she was quick to lock eyes with Inuyasha once again. "Big assumptions coming out of you these days, _ō-sama_."

Inuyasha blinked, not expecting her to drop the stupid title the school gave him. He chuckled, the sound a low rumble in his chest. "Cute. That was cute… come on, now."

Inuyasha grabbed Kagome's wrist and gently tugged her towards his motorcycle. One look around campus was enough to tell Kagome that everything was deserted…

Not like she expected to see anybody straggling about, anyway.

Nobody sane would want to be out in a storm like the one that was raging. Nobody other than Kagome and Inuyasha, that is. He mounted the bike and she, as if it was second nature, mounted behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso. She gave him a gentle squeeze, as if to say _drive safe. _With the lack of their Bluetooth helmet set, there was no other way to communicate with him. Inuyasha revved the engine twice before kicking off and making his way off campus.

He drove slowly and carefully both because it was raining and he didn't have his helmet on. Despite the aforementioned, the true reason he was driving carefully on what should've been a five-minute ride, was that he didn't want to disappoint Kagome… Especially when she asked for him to be careful.

Somehow… someway… her acceptance of him was one of the most important things in his life.

And that thought, also, scared the living shit out of him.


	9. Black Priestess

**To answer a recurring question: Inuyasha picked Kagome on his bike as it was quicker to access. His car would've been in a lot and it's easier to manoeuvre around campus (and faster) on his bike.**

**And come on… it is a tad bit romantic ;)**

* * *

Inuyasha pulled his bike up next to a brick and windowless building. He glanced over his shoulder and used his head to usher Kagome off the bike. It was still pouring and they were both soaking, but neither of them seemed to care any longer.

"Wait inside the first set of doors for me?"

Kagome nodded and pulled her helmet off. She hurried past the first set of doors and was welcomed by a second set of _iron_ doors. Her brows furrowed and confusion began to cloud her mind. _Where the heck are we?_ Kagome examined the small chamber that she was standing in, noting that the inside had a very industrial feel to it; two of the four walls were all brick with PVC piping lining the wall, just an inch down from the speckled ceiling. A single pendant light gave the little chamber quite the rustic style of illumination.

"Hey," Kagome looked over her shoulder and saw Inuyasha step in, wringing himself of any excess water. "You good?"

Kagome smiled. "Yep… although this tiny little room makes me a little suspicious."

Grinning, Inuyasha came up beside her and knocked twice on the iron door. A crackle came to life and a squeaky voice echoed inside of the industrially rustic entrance chamber. "Name?"

"Takahashi Inuyasha, plus one."

"Member ID number."

"T-two-two-three-seven-four."

"Thank you, Takahashi-san. Guest name?"

"Higurashi Kagome."

"Perfect. Please proceed."

Kagome's eyes were wide and her jaw was slack. The iron doors slowly opened and she was immediately met with the coziest scenario she had ever seen: a giant dim lit open concept area welcomed her, with a stage set far to the left. A live band seemed to be playing with a few people watching with interest, sipping beverages out of tall glasses. Peppered throughout the main sitting area were board game stations, dining tables, and café style sofas and coffee tables. A bit to the right was an actual restaurant front and bar, complete with dining tables and a bar-seating area.

A maître d', of sorts, greeted them with a wide and goofy grin.

"Inuyasha—geez! Did you come here in a hurricane?"

Inuyasha shrugged one shoulder and Kagome immediately noted the difference in his personality from when he was with her. He was more lighthearted and easygoing when dealing with her… but around other people, from what Kagome noticed, he was quiet, introverted, and stoic.

"It's pretty bad out there." Inuyasha shrugged off his sweater and passed it to the maître d'. He tilted his head down at Kagome and told her it was okay to pass the jacket to _Manten_. Kagome was silent the whole time and did as Inuyasha recommended. Once Manten (Kagome giggled inwardly: _Manten the maître d')_ had their very wet outer apparel hanging over his forearm, he ushered them in.

"Enjoy!"

Inuyasha placed his fingers on the small of Kagome's back and guided her into the _supposed_ casual establishment.

"This doesn't seem super casual to me." Kagome observed. Inuyasha's chest rumbled as he flattened his palm on the small of her back, giving him more contact of her.

"It actually is. Manten is the co-manager who likes to greet his patrons personally… after that, this is a do-as-you-please sort of place… there's the band," he glanced over to a few people jamming it out, "a bar. A restaurant. A place to hang out…"

"Is it elite?"

"Absolutely not. But it is members only."

Inuyasha guided Kagome over to the restaurant front and pulled a chair out for her. She nestled in to her seat and watched as Inuyasha walked around the table to take the chair across from her. Kagome rested her left elbow on the table and put her cheek on her fisted hand. "Members only but not elite?" Kagome was incredulous.

"A lot of public places have rowdy patrons," Inuyasha explained as a waiter hurried over to them to ask for their drink orders. "Manten and his brother Hiten wanted a place that you could be you without worrying about too drunk partyers or too-young patrons. There's an annual fee; it isn't much but it's enough to deter the wrong kind of crowd."

"I see," Kagome sipped her hot coffee. It felt good after being stuck in the rain, she hadn't realized how chilled she was. "So do _you_ pay annually?"

"Nope." Inuyasha's eyes were twinkling. "I interned with the architectural company that was hired to design this place during my second year. A lot of stuff in here was my idea, so I'm an honorary member without the annual fee."

"Your celebrity status just keeps getting better and better." Kagome giggled. She found it was getting easier to be around Inuyasha. She wasn't a spluttering mess, but her heart did sometimes catch in her throat and she found herself feigning confidence a lot. Kagome was one hundred percent certain she had the world's biggest crush on him; it was simple attraction when she saw him that first day during their campus orientation, but it grew in to something so much more as she spent time with him.

Other girls may claim they liked him, but Kagome was certain _she_ truly did, and it wasn't just lusting over his dreamy looks. She was learning who he was and what made him tick—outward appearance aside, what was on the inside was really beginning to pull at Kagome's heartstrings.

"I wanted to bring you somewhere where nobody from campus would be, but casual enough were you'd feel relaxed… how did I do?"

Kagome _felt_ the blush before it hit her face. It warmed her heart to know that he simply wanted to please her… impress her in ways that she was never impressed before. "You did okay. Maybe a solid six out of ten?"

"A six?" Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up. "Just a six?" He sounded baffled and slightly insulted.

Kagome gave a playful half-hearted shrug. "I mean it's _cool_ but… oh, fine!" She couldn't keep the act up any longer. "This is so awesome! You can literally do _anything _here?"

"Just about." Inuyasha nodded at the waiter who brought out some warm buns for them to munch on while they looked over the menu. The prices in the club were significantly cheaper than the outside world, but that was only because the members paid their dues to enter so it would remain unfair if they were charged market value.

"I didn't see a name outside… does this place have a name?" Kagome loved the warm bun melting in her mouth. She was ready to _not_ order a meal and just dive into the basket of assorted buns.

"Raiju Kyoudai."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "That's an unusual name."

"Manten and Hiten call themselves the Thunder Brothers," Inuyasha explained as he bit in to a bun himself. "I suppose it's a play on words? Their last name means thunder… in hindsight, it's really cheesy."

Kagome laughed. "You said it, not me—oh! Are you erady?" As the waiter approached the table, Kagome looked at Inuyasha hesitantly. One nod from him, however, told her that it was okay to order. Kagome opted to have some onigiri and tempura off of the appetizer menu, and Inuyasha chose to get okonomiyaki.

"How far are you in your saucy erotica?" Inuyasha asked when the waiter walked away, his voice devoid of emotion. Kagome's eyes snapped wide open and she gawked at Inuyasha, clearly shocked that he would ask her something like that in public. The heat crawled up from her neck to the top of her head and she was sure that she rivalled a boiled lobster.

"Uh… um…" _And I was doing so damn well with the stuttering!_ Inuyasha held his expression for a second longer before relaxing his shoulders and grinning wildly.

"It is quite easy to rile you up."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "You're unusually good at not showing any emotion…"

"If I showed emotion on a regular day, what do you think would happen to the female population?" Inuyasha asked before sipping his coffee. The heat from within the club had dried the both of them up for the most part, but their hairs were in a dishevelled state. Inuyasha, who had his hair in a braid for ride to Raiju Kyoudai, had pulled the tie off and ran his fingers through his mane in an attempt to tame it. It was to no avail.

"I'm sure you can impregnate them with just one smile." Kagome mused and Inuyasha wore a deadpan expression. "I don't think they'd mind, though." She added purely as an afterthought.

"Biology doesn't work that way." Inuyasha said, dryly, the echoes of a chuckle building in the back of his throat. "I know you're a historian but you must've taken _some_ science classes along the way? Elementary school, perhaps?"

The dry, humorous banter made Kagome happier than she ever thought possible with a man. He didn't seem to easily offend and he wasn't a stuck-up man either. Kagome was under the impression that he must've had _some_ sort of snobby personality given that he was thrust onto a pedestal for four years. She was pleasantly surprised when she began to see that he was an all-round genuinely good guy.

"I have, but just as somebody on the forum thinks I seduced you with black magic, I'm sure there's a potent pregnancy power in you somewhere."

"… black magic?!" Inuyasha zoned in on only two words she said, missing her pretty solid usage of alliteration.

Kagome nodded, thinking back to reading the blog earlier. "When I was on the forum." She explained. "Some say I'm a childhood friend which is why we are even seen breathing the same air," Inuyasha scoffed at _that_ bit but Kagome continued to talk over him, "but this one person says I'm a priestess that practices the dark arts and I've seduced you into paying more attention to me."

Inuyasha's lips twitched in utter amusement. "I think it's possible."

Kagome's eyebrows shot up. "And why is that?"

"I think when you ran into my bike on that first day you threw magical priestess dust on me, forcing me to be drawn towards you." Inuyasha was leaning back in his seat, looking as if he owned the place. Kagome was amused hearing his words, and tried to shake off the funny feeling she got in the pit of her stomach when he specifically said the words 'drawn towards you'. Kagome was trying her damned hardest to not let him take control of her emotions. She refused to be a bumbling idiot around him, like that one girl that fainted at the mere sight of him on the first day of campus orientation.

But even still… he _did_ make her heart slam against her chest more times than she could count. _I need a checklist for this man: good looking, nice, attentive, funny, smart…_

"I don't need magic for that," Kagome playfully tossed her hair over her shoulder and Inuyasha's eyes hardened, his pupils dilating noticeably.

"No," he murmured, sipping his coffee again. "You _didn't_ need magic for that."

Kagome was surprised at his tone of voice. It was thick with meaning, and his voice was a bit lower than what it normally was. She was relieved when she saw the waiter approach their table with their food, giving her an out from that moment. There were times, with Inuyasha, where everything became incredibly intense, sizzling with some sort of unknown energy that Kagome had yet to place a finger on. That moment right there was one of _those_ times.

He seemed to realize it too and promptly cleared his throat. "Anything you wanna do after we're done eating?" He glanced around the club, eyeing the many activities that were available to them. Inuyasha's eyes rested on the band that played covers for a wide range of musicians; they were playing a particular tune that he was fond of.

"Do they do karaoke?"

Inuyasha's eyes broke away from the band to grin stupidly at Kagome. "Are you a singer?"

She averted her eyes, slightly embarrassed. "Not really, but I can carry a tune?"

"I see… there isn't karaoke, but the band does play music for those of us who want to sing."

Well that caught Kagome's attention. "Those of _us_? You can _sing_?"

"You don't believe me? Ouch…" Inuyasha placed a hand on his chest and feigned hurt. Kagome leaned back in her chair and gave Inuyasha the once over, her arms crossed in front of her chest. He watched her with pure amusement.

"What _can't_ you do?"

"You know what? I don't know… I think I _am_ perfect."

Kagome snorted. "There! I knew you had a fatal flaw!"

"Do I now?" Inuyasha's grin morphed into a smoldering gaze. "And what, pray tell, is that?"

"I think you have a slight superiority complex."

And he wasn't expecting that. His face dropped and his jaw went slack. Kagome watched him smugly as Inuyasha processed the words she said.

_Did she… _"A superiority complex?! No way!"

Kagome examined her fingernails, fake studying her index finger. "You refuse to admit you're bad at anything."

"Just because I'm competent at _most _things does not mean I have a superiority complex." Inuyasha muttered, genuinely upset that she even _thought _that he thought that he was better than most people. The sound of her musical laughter reached his ears and he glared at her, albeit playfully, with a cocked eyebrow. He was silently asking her what the heck was so funny.

"You're upset that I said that!"

He paused. "No."

"I struck a chord… I'm sorry." Kagome tried to stop smiling but she couldn't. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt and she couldn't remember the last time she had such a blast just sitting and enjoying a man's company. Inuyasha had a way of making her feel at ease while simultaneously releasing a cornucopia of butterflies to flitter around in the pit of her belly. It was the strangest experience… almost surreal.

"Sorry," Kagome stuck her tongue out at him. "What can I do to make you feel better?"

His eyes brightened. "Sing a duet with me."

Well, she wasn't expecting _that_. "A duet?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yes, a duet…"

Kagome's eyes wandered to the band and for a brief moment she pictured her and Inuyasha on stage, jamming alongside with them. _You know what? That's not a bad way to make up anything for anybody… even if he is totally joking._ Clapping her hands once, Kagome snapped her gaze back at Inuyasha.

"Sure! But I pick the song?"

"Absolutely." He said, warmth echoing in his words.

* * *

Inuyasha got up on stage and held his hand out to help hoist Kagome up. The band was all too eager to participate in the impromptu show. Many patrons of the club gathered around the stage, excited to see what was happening. Some of the regulars were more intrigued that Takahashi Inuyasha brought a female to accompany him, when normally he came with his best friends.

"Which song, priestess?" Inuyasha tilted his head towards her with one eyebrow raised. The pet name, an ode to the stupid black magic blog, made her heart race wild. Kagome had yet to come to terms with the fact that the _smallest_ things that the man did had a _huge_ impact on her emotionally.

_This could get very bad very quick…_

"Eternity Is From Just One Second by Jay'ed and Juju? Are you familiar with it?"

Inuyasha nodded once. "Yep… boys, you ready?" He tossed over his shoulder and saw the drummer nod before twirling his drumsticks in his fingers. "Count us down?"

The drummer counted down, tapping his drumsticks together before the band started playing the first strings of the song. Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and saw that her eyes were closed, holding onto the microphone that was propped in its stand. Inuyasha was gripping a wireless microphone that Hiten produced when he told him they wanted to sing a karaoke duet.

The melody began and Inuyasha had to inhale deeply. His eyes were trained on Kagome; he saw that she was doing breathing exercises—her chest was rising and falling rhythmically. When the first note of her verse began, Kagome's eyes opened and she greeted it like a professional. Inuyasha was immediately blown away. Her voice was silky and sultry; she effortlessly hit the perfect notes, never once faltering from the song. He saw that she was gripping the microphone with a death grip; her knuckles were almost white, but she did not let that fear bleed into her song.

Inuyasha had to tear his eyes away from her. It was almost his turn and he didn't want to miss his cue. With the music winding its way around, Inuyasha met his mark with perfection. It was Kagome's turn to watch him in utter awe.

_He really is a good singer._ She guessed he probably was, but to see him press his lips against a microphone while closing his eyes; to see him sway to the melody; to hear him harmonize alongside her… it was as if Kagome was waltzing in a dream. Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked over at Kagome, his eyes twinkling in mirth. Kagome met his gaze with one of her own. Inuyasha walked over to Kagome, as she was on the stationary microphone, and held his hand out to her. It took Kagome a beat but she, without hesitation, reached out and interlaced her fingers through his. Although she was singing in front of a crowd, and although she was trying to concentrate her damnedest on ensuring that she didn't royally screw up the song… all Kagome could focus on was Inuyasha lazily caressing her hand with his thumb.

The song came to a close and everyone in the club, including Manten and Hiten, erupted in cheers and applause. Inuyasha raised the hand that was holding Kagome's and lifted in the air, in the international symbol of _victory_! Kagome was laughing as the cheers got louder and Inuyasha couldn't stop grinning at her.

"You can sing _really_ well." Inuyasha offered and Kagome looked away from him, not wanting to get shy and embarrassed.

"And you're allowed to have a superiority complex."

Inuyasha barked out a single _HA_ before tugging Kagome off the stage. He playfully saluted the drummer in thanks who returned the gesture with a smile. Inuyasha guided them to an empty couch and gestured for Kagome to sit. Not needing to be told twice, Kagome sprawled out onto the sofa as Inuyasha greeted a few patrons that approached them in an attempt to congratulate them for a wonderful performance.

Kagome beamed as she watched Inuyasha handle their situation flawlessly. _He's probably using his kingly ghosting skills. _Inuyasha had to have learned some skills in dodging annoyingly encroaching people. With the last person gone, Inuyasha joined Kagome on the couch.

"That was fun." He admitted and Kagome couldn't stop herself from winking at him.

"Wasn't it?" Kagome pulled her arms over her head into a loud stretch. Once she was done, Inuyasha nudged her leg with his own.

"Do me a favour?"

Kagome didn't say anything but simply nodded for Inuyasha to continue.

"Braid my hair? I hate leaving it down."

_Ba dum_

Kagome heard her heart and she was almost sure Inuyasha probably did too. Instead of skipping a beat, it began thumping in her chest—_at the rate he makes my heart race, I'm going to die._ Clearing her throat, Kagome sat up and pointed at the floor in front of her, silently telling Inuyasha to take a seat. He complied without any argument. Kagome stared at the silver mane in front of her before –after a moment of reluctance—running her fingers along his scalp. She felt Inuyasha shuddered and could've sworn she heard a moan.

Kagome caressed his hair out of his face and traced her fingers down the length of his mane, running her fingers through his partially wet hair to untangle it to the best of her ability. Inuyasha had his left elbow propped on his knee while his other leg was stretched out in front of him.

"I hope you had fun bringing me here today." Kagome whispered as she began tugging at the intricacies of a French braid.

"Considering you're the only girl I've brought here, I'd say that I'm anything but disappointed. Plus, you have a set of pipes on you."

Kagome giggled. "I used to sing with my dad when there were Japanese idols on TV."

"Used to?"

"He passed away…"

"Ahh," Inuyasha wanted to shoot himself, but there was no way he could've known her father was deceased. "My mother passed away when I was a kid. Are you the eldest?"

"Yep."

"Then you're lucky. I had to deal with a hormonally challenged older brother."

"I can tell you two get along finely."

Inuyasha shrugged one shoulder. He wanted to let Kagome in to his life, but he wasn't sure he was ready to expose _that_ part of him to her as of yet. His soul told him that she was different, and from what he saw in the few days he spent with her, she really was different. But he couldn't tell her about the skeletons in his family closet just yet.

"We got along."

Kagome didn't press it. She could tell the topic was touchy for him, and promptly searched for something else to talk about. His hair was long enough to keep the conversation going for a few more minutes anyway.

"Have you ever been to Osaka?"

"Once, when I was a kid." Inuyasha reached over and gripped her wrist, stopping her ministrations as he looked over his shoulder to smile at her. "How about you take me there one of these days?"

Kagome beamed. "Absolutely. And you need to take me around… where's your home town?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh. "I'm actually from Okinawa."

"… you are _totally _going to have to show me around! Heck, let's skip Osaka altogether!"

Inuyasha smiled at her enthusiasm. "You have my word, black priestess; I'll take you to Okinawa one of these days."

He let go of his gentle hold on her wrist allowing her to continue with his braid. "Black priestess?" Inuyasha heard her ask, a lilt of amusement in her tone. "Let me voodoo you and persuade you to take me right this minute then, yeah?"

"If you're powerful enough." Inuyasha snickered. "Because while I _can_ do that, I don't want to take you for one day."

_Wait. WAIT! Is he **actually** going to?! _Kagome was finding a hard time deciphering between their jokes and reality. She'd never been to Okinawa before and would love the opportunity to go, but she wasn't going to let Inuyasha _provide_ that for her. Accompany her, sure (_If I could stop the butterflies if we do go together!)_, but not pay for her.

"Then what do you want?" Her voice was a whisper as she pulled the rubber band out of his outstretched wrist to twist at the end of the braid. Inuyasha turned his torso to look in to Kagome's eyes, his own burning with a smoldering unknown.

"I want to take you for a few days and show you _my_ world."

_Ba dum… ba dum… ba dum…_

"Umm… I… that… would be nice." Kagome looked away in embarrassment. _It's that electrical I-don't-know-what-to-do moment again!_ Kagome needed to take a few deep breaths to calm her raging emotions. She was thankful that Inuyasha pushed himself off the floor and began dusting the seat of his pants, giving her the time needed to calm herself down.

"Hey," he held his hand out to her, "want to get your ass kicked at air hockey?"

Kagome was taken aback, not expecting the change of topic but was thankful for it regardless. She stared at his hand for a second and looked over to where the air hockey table was. _Well, you rode in the rain here, had dinner with him, sang karaoke with him… take his hand and don't let go._ Kagome met his gaze and smiled brightly, bringing her hand up to interlace with his for the second time that night.

"You're _very_ presumptuous. I guess that comes with having a superiority complex?" Kagome was well aware that he tightened his grip around her hand and tugged her to walk closer with him. He looked down at her, his eyebrow raised in laughter.

"My fatal flaw, as you say?"

"Your fatal flaw." Kagome nodded in mock seriousness. "I don't know if I can deal with that…"

"Not a good enough reason to leave me."

Kagome's breath hitched. Inuyasha released his hold on her hand and walked over to the red side of the air hockey table. "Come, black priestess."

"I'll voodoo you to lose." Kagome said with false confidence. If she was learning anything with her time spent with Inuyasha, it was that she was getting better at masking her nerves. If Inuyasha knew that she was capable of being a bumbling idiot, he may not want to spend time with her. _I'm not like his other fan girls. He makes my heart race like theirs probably do… but mine races for another reason entirely._

Inuyasha held the puck in his left hand while gripping his paddle with his right. Kagome's eyes caught his and he winked before tossing the puck onto the table.

"Good luck, _priestess_."


	10. Tell Me Something

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at how silly her friends looked. They were leaning forward, all three of them, waiting with bated breath as Kagome recounted the events from the night before. Rin ensured that she said her two-cents after every pivotal moment of the night (which, apparently was every-single-moment).

"We played air hockey after that and took a shot to celebrate a successful first date." (Rin: "_Of many!_") Kagome leaned back in her chair, grinning stupidly. "The rain stopped so we came back and he walked me to the steps of the dorm and…"

The girls leaned closer. "And…?"

"I ran inside." Kagome blushed and Sango groaned. _Loudly_.

"No hug? No _kiss_?! Kagooomeeee!"

"Wait a second!" Kagome slammed a hand onto the table. "I'm not going to let him kiss me on our first date! I've only known him for a week, I think that'd make me a hussy."

"She's right." Ayame concurred. "He has to work for it."

"The king works for _nobody_!" Rin whined. "Even if that nobody is our very own Kagome, who is a strong, independent woman!"

"I resent being called a _nobody."_ Kagome mumbled, leaning forward to grab Sango's mug of coffee to sate her caffeine craving. The thought crossed her mind to lean in, go for the kiss, or even a hug! But she couldn't. As the night geared to an end, Kagome was getting more and more nervous of the goodbye etiquette and ended up just thanking him for a wonderful time and running into the sanctuary of the girls' dormitory instead. As she got in to the elevator, she saw Inuyasha watching her while leaning against Tetsusaiga.

_He waited for me to get into the elevator safely_. Kagome had thought breathlessly. Subconsciously, she had clutched the front of her chest, just above her heart, in an effort to calm her nerves. _He didn't have to do that..._

He even texted her when he got to his dorm.

_Inuyasha~  
Tucked in bed?_

_Kagome~  
Safe and sound :)_

She had replied. He thanked her for making his night a memorable one, but she argued that it was _he_ who made _her_ night memorable. After a few more texts were exchanged, they called it a night and Kagome woke up to her friends whispering about who should wake Kagome up to hear how her night went.

That brought Kagome to the present moment.

"So are you two dating now?" Ayame asked the necessary questions. "Does this constitute as being in a relationship?"

Kagome chewed on her lower lip but Sango answered for her. "No way. Do you walk in to a store and buy the sexiest piece of clothing you see without trying it on because you _think_ it'll look good? No. You try it on and _then _buy it."

"But isn't dating trying on the boys before you marry them… ergo, the _buying?"_ Rin crossed her arms, looking unimpressed. Sango snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Are we talking about marriage? No. We'd be happy if Kagome _dates_ the king so we can vicariously live our lives through her. He's the unattainable _boyfriend_—why are we considering him as potential marriage material?" Sango flopped onto her bed and mumbled incoherent words under her breath. Kagome _swore_ she heard 'horny' in there, but couldn't be too sure.

"It's the king." Rin said matter-of-factly. "I'm sure he's ample marriage material."

"Don't doubt you, but our eighteen-year-old Kagome here is probably thinking of what job she'll get for her internship, or who her next boyfriend will be… not if she's going to be taking his name or not." Sango retorted for Kagome who rolled her eyes at this point.

"I appreciate you coming to my defense, but I literally could've said everything you just said."

"You could've," Sango sat up. "But I said it for you. Am I wrong?"

"No. But still!"

The girls hung out for a bit longer before they dispersed; Rin and Ayame going their own ways and Sango and Kagome heading to the off-campus coffee shop for some breakfast and best friend time. Since they started school, Kagome felt like she and Sango didn't see each other much, which was ironic seeing as they were roommates. Sango was all too eager to comply. The four girls initially had brunch plans, to which they rejigged to accommodate a dinner outing instead. Rin said she had a few errands to run; brunch would make it really tight for her. The other girls were more than okay with the change of plans.

"You're riding this wave of luck, aren't you?" Sango said as the girls walked arm-in-arm to the coffee shop. "Scholarship to Shuto, practically dating the most popular and unattainable guy on campus… what happened to my meek best friend?"

Kagome laughed. "I did nothing to vie for his affection."

"Girl, that's probably why he's giving it to you! You're like the only girl who doesn't fawn over him. Hell, _I_ fawn over him, and I have zero intention of being in a relationship with him!" Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes at Sango's admittance.

"Do you know how hard it is to _try_ and not look like a stuttering idiot?! I get star struck around him!" Kagome exhaled slowly and Sango couldn't help but snort, obviously not impressed with Kagome's confession.

"Honey, you're going be seeing _a lot_ more of him now. Get used to it."

The girls opted to take an indoor seat that morning, as it was a little chilly. Sango went to the counter to order their things, not really caring on waiting for the server so Kagome decided to fish out her phone and scroll through. She wasn't expecting to see a text message from Inuyasha, but there it was.

_Inuyasha~  
Good morning, priestess_.

Her heart still thundered at the nickname.

_Kagome~  
Good morning! Slept well?_

_Inuyasha~  
Yeah… plans today?_

_Kagome~  
Hanging out with Sango then doing dinner with my roommates. Probably get some reading done in the middle. You?_

_Inuyasha~  
Meeting with my brother today. I may be out for the week, but I'm not sure yet._

_Kagome~  
Oh? Why? (If you don't mind me asking)_

_Inuyasha~  
Lol, you can ask me anything. It's family business related…_

Kagome didn't want to pry. Even though he said she could ask him anything, his answers were very guarded.

_Kagome~  
Luckily lectures are posted online?_

_Inuyasha~  
Luckily ;) _

_Kagome~  
Sango's coming back with our coffee… talk to you later?_

_Inuyasha~  
Sure. Call me after?_

Kagome's mouth tugged into a wistful smile.

_Kagome~  
Absolutely._

"Is that lover boy?" Sango slid in to her seat while Kagome tossed her phone into her bag.

"Yep. These random morning texts do wonders for the ego."

Sango scoffed. "You are insane. You weren't like this with Hojo and you two dated for quite some time."

"Yes but… I dunno." Kagome sipped her coffee. "It's so intense with him! I don't think I've ever felt this way before."

Sango chewed the inside of her cheek, contemplating before she commented on Kagome's statement. When her thoughts were gathered, she spoke: "Go with the flow. I know how you get, and please trust me when I say don't over think this. This is simply a good thing… nothing more, nothing less."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know. But you have to take it at face value." Sango chomped on her pastry. "He's making an effort to message you and take you out. What more could you ask for, for somebody you almost mauled a week ago?"

Kagome threw a napkin at Sango. "I was late for class." She said defensively.

"And aren't you glad you were." Sango winked, dodging the second crumpled napkin Kagome threw at her. The best friends did nothing but enjoy each other's company. Growing up it was always just the two of them, through thick and thin. Their friendship stood the test of time and it was at a point where neither called the other their friend.

They simply referred to each other as their _sister_.

* * *

"I thought I told you to stay away from my boyfriend."

Kagome's eyes flickered up from her textbook to see a seething Kikyo. Kagome was on the seventh floor of the campus library, getting her readings for the week done after she and Sango parted ways. She hadn't spoken to Inuyasha after he informed her that he was meeting with his brother; she was the last person to text him and he hadn't messaged her after that.

She knew he was busy, so she decided not to continue pestering him.

"Excuse me?" Kagome asked, slowly closing her textbook. Kikyo leaned back and crossed her arms, a nasty smirk on her face.

"Inuyasha is known to cheat, but he always comes back to me. I told you to stay away from him… so back the fuck off." Kikyo placed a hand on the desk and leaned forward, her nose almost touching Kagome's.

"You must be really shitty in bed if he resorts to cheating on you so regularly." Kagome shot, her eyes ablaze. If the little _princess _here wanted to wage war, Kagome would fight fire with fire. Sure, Kagome was _normally_ quiet and _normally _meek and _normally_ minded her own business, but something sparked within her when she heard Kikyo say such dirty things about Inuyasha.

Because Kagome knew he wasn't like that.

Kagome knew the truth.

"What the hell did you say?!" Kikyo screeched. "Listen here—"

"I don't have to listen to you." Kagome stood up, grabbed her textbook and backpack. "Stop being jealous. If he's interested in me, then that is _his_ issue, not mine. How long have you known him for, hmm?" Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "You're, what, in second year? It's been two years and he hasn't noticed you… do you think he'll start anytime soon?"

"You bitch!" Kikyo swung her fist and caught Kagome's jaw. Kagome's head snapped to the side and it was as if time froze. People gathered around them, not knowing what to do or say. On one side was Hiromi Kikyo, the popular and arguably prettiest girl of the second-year cohort… and on the other side was Higurashi Kagome, equally beautiful but the one that caught Takahashi Inuyasha's eye. The students didn't know what to do.

Kagome placed her left hand against her jaw and turned her head to look at Kikyo with wide eyes. "Did you just…"

"Stay away from him." Kikyo snarled, baring her teeth. Kagome looked at the desk and saw that her phone had its notification light flashing. Kagome looked up at Kikyo while stretching to grab her phone. Kikyo scowled.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Kagome unlocked her phone to see Inuyasha texted her:

_Inuyasha~  
__Where are you? On campus, wanna grab a snack?_

She looked up at Kikyo with a plan forming in her mind. "Fine. Let's ask him ourselves, why don't we? Call your boyfriend."

Kikyo took a step back, looking confused. "Call him? Now why would I waste my time calling him for proof? Anyway, he's busy. He's out practicing soccer today with his friends."

"Is he? Fine. I'll call him."

Kikyo's eyes widened, a sweat breaking on her forehead. "You have his number?!"

Kagome merely smiled as sweetly as she could. She hit _speaker_ on her phone and the ringing echoed in the quiet library floor. Everybody watched Kagome with bated breath, and Kikyo looked as if she saw a ghost. After two rings, Inuyasha picked up and everybody leaned forward.

"Hey." He sounded happy.

"How was your meeting with your brother?" Kagome asked, calling Kikyo's bluff. All eyes of those that were listening whipped to stare at Kikyo, shocked that the supposed _nice_ Princess of Shuto had the gall to lie like that.

"Eventful. Where are you?"

"Library. With your girlfriend."

Like a game of ping-pong, all eyes turned to look at Kagome. Everybody thought the same thing: _what is he going to say?!_

There was a pregnant pause. Inuyasha finally replied: "… who is my girlfriend?"

At that, everybody's eyes whipped to a shocked Kikyo. She looked like she lost all colour in her face.

"Hiromi Kikyo?"

"Who? Didn't you mention her once?"

Kagome's smile morphed into a smirk. "I did. She's just here telling me to stay away from you. Punched me while she was at it."

"She fucking _punched_ you? Hold on. I'll be there in less than five." Inuyasha's voice growled, sounding more lethal than what Kagome had ever heard before.

Kikyo growled before turning on her heel and leaving. Kagome took the phone off speaker and pressed it against her ear, not wanting the people around her to continue listening to her private conversation. "Sorry, you were on speaker. I wanted to a prove a point to her."

"She punched you?" Inuyasha's voice was tight and stuck on that one thing.

"Yes. But it doesn't hur—" Kagome hung up when she saw Inuyasha round the corner of the library floor. It was as if all the air was sucked out of the building.

"You're here?"

Inuyasha approached Kagome with long and even strides. He didn't greet her, he saw the swelling and redness of her jaw and trailed his index and middle finger along her jawline. There was a tick in his own jaw and Kagome could tell he was trying to swallow his anger. "Are you okay?"

The sound of a shutter clicking signalled to Kagome that somebody took a picture, but she couldn't care any less. "I'll live."

"She can't get away—"

"Inuyasha," Kagome brought her hand up to cover his, which was still on her jawbone, "I'll live. You said you wanted a snack? Let's go."

He nodded, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped. He leaned forward and plucked her books out of her hands and slid her backpack off of her shoulder, putting it on himself. Without warning, he laced his fingers through hers and gently tugged her out of the library building. Dozens of eyes watched them leave, unsure of when it was okay to release the breaths that they were holding.

"I gotta write up my blog post!" A squeaky voice chirped from within the crowd.

* * *

"Hey, hey slow down!" Kagome tugged at his hand. Inuyasha paid her no heed though, he continued pulling her toward the canteen without saying a word or pausing for a break. Kagome relented and allowed him to drag her halfway across campus for a _snack_. The throbbing in her jaw subsided and she really meant it when she said _I'll live_.

Kagome had never done anything of that calibre before. She was always the quiet one that stayed away from trouble. Being at Shuto, and seeing Inuyasha changed all of that and, all of a sudden, Kagome was standing up for herself and getting punched in the process. _I think this can be considered a milestone. _

When Inuyasha took a sudden left and pulled Kagome between two of the faculty buildings, she truly began wondering what he was up to. He navigated past a few garbage bins and ducked under an awning at the far end of the alleyway. Without warning, he dropped Kagome's books and pulled her in to his chest, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Kagome was shocked, her hands hard as lead on either side of her. Inuyasha's hold on her tightened, just a smidge, and he buried his face in her neck.

Kagome heard him inhale, drinking in her scent.

"Inu…yasha?" She squeaked, finally feeling her hands again enough to gently wrap around his torso.

"I'm sorry." He croaked. "This is all because of me… because I'm talking to you… because of this stupid reputation I have to live with."

The tightness in Kagome's chest loosened and she strengthened the hold she had on Inuyasha. Her back was pressed against the faculty building and her cheek was pressed against his chest, her every breath filled with the essence of Inuyasha. If Kagome could describe a perfect moment, _that_ was it. If Kagome could burn a moment into her memory, _this_ was it.

If Kagome could take one single moment in time to her grave, _this is it._

Inuyasha inhaled deeply and pulled out of the embrace, his eyes immediately locking with Kagome's. He brought his fingertips up to trail the length of her jaw once more, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear in the process. Kagome was clutching the back of his red shirt, unsure of what to say, or even do. All she could hear was Inuyasha's laboured breathing. All she could feel was the electricity that coursed from his fingertips into her pores.

All she could see was the vision of perfection.

"It's not your fault." Kagome whispered, addressing his earlier concerns. "This is not because of you. There are girls like her out there who think they own everybody and everything. And when they don't get their way, they lash out. It isn't her fault either, that's just the product of poor parenting."

Inuyasha smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Does it hurt?" His knuckle traced her jaw.

"Not at all, I'm stronger than I look." Kagome feigned her confidence, but her breath left her soul when she felt Inuyasha's lips press against the jaw that Kikyo punched. Her eyes were wide, and she forgot how to inhale—_his lips are so soft._

Inuyasha's eyes flicked to meet Kagome's, his lips just a hairsbreadth away from the corner of her mouth. "Can you tell me something?" He whispered, and Kagome felt an immediate déjà vu. _This is like when he asked me if it was okay for him to call me every night…_

"What?" Kagome croaked, her voice cracking.

"Tell me it's okay to ask you to be my girlfriend…"

_Ba dum… ba dum…_

"Tell me, and I'll ask you right now…"

_Ba dum…_

_Ba dum…_

_Ba dum…_

"Kagome," his breath caressed her cheek. He shifted so his forehead was pressed against her temple. "Please tell me it's okay…"

She couldn't think. She acted on emotion. On feeling… _on the moment._

"It's okay…"

Inuyasha brought his other hand up to cup her opposite cheek, the one that wasn't punched, and turned her head so that her eyes met his. "Will you be my girlfriend?" His voice was barely audible, just above a husky whisper.

"Yes…" Kagome didn't recognize her own voice.

His fingers trailed to the back of her neck and Inuyasha pulled her forward, pressing her lips against his. It was as if fireworks exploded around her, and everything else in the world dissolved into nothingness. The hand that was gently holding her jaw moved down to wrap around her waist, pulling her body flush against Inuyasha's. His tongue ran over the seam of her lips, silently begging for entrance. It was the most natural thing for Kagome to comply; the second Inuyasha was allowed an opening, his tongue took it, exploring territory unknown.

Kagome tilted her head back slightly to allow them more access in exploring each other's lips. Her hands came up to wrap around his shoulders and she pulled him down more, wanting to feel more of him… taste more of him…

Time stopped.

The world stopped.

Their lives stopped.

Kagome never experienced that kind of phenomenon before. The phenomenon where the touch of somebody's lips was enough for her to give her soul to him.

The phenomenon where the universe ceased to exist…

The phenomenon of realizing that one no longer had control of their heart.

* * *

**BANG! :D**


	11. 3hRM

Kagome was sprawled out on her bed with an icepack on her jaw. After… after _the moment_, Kagome and Inuyasha decided that grabbing a snack was the last thing they wanted to do. Inuyasha walked her back to her dorm and, with little warning, pulled her against his torso and closed the distance between their lips. It was a soft butterfly kiss, but it caused the same fire to ignite in Kagome's core as the other kiss did. Kagome couldn't shake the gentle feel of his fingertips tracing the length of her jaw, all the way down the length of her arm before tangling his fingers through hers.

Inuyasha pulled back and pressed his forehead against Kagome's, unaware of the jaws that dropped around them.

"I'll see you later, _kanojo_."

Kagome's heart skipped a beat. _Girlfriend…_

Her lips were unable to move, so all she could simply do was nod. Inuyasha stood back and watched her disappear through the gates of her dormitory, his arms crossed and his eyes solely focused and trained on her until she entered the elevator.

_Aaaaaand_ there she was, twenty-some-odd minutes later, lying on her bed and waiting for one of her friends to come home. She couldn't even bring herself to _text_ them—she knew if she did, she'd tell them what happened and this was something she wanted to see their reaction for!

Her phone dinged and, without moving her head (as she was balancing the icepack perfectly on her face), Kagome grabbed her phone.

_Inuyasha~  
How's your jaw?_

Kagome could feel herself start smiling.

_Kagome~  
You good with battle scars?_

_Inuyasha~  
I think it adds a certain je ne sais quoi?_

_Kagome~  
Too bad I won't have one ;)_

_Inuyasha~  
LOL!  
Well look at that, my _kanojo_ has a sense of humour :P_

Kagome's heart skipped a beat and she reread that text four times before, shakily, responding.

_Kagome~  
She does, now doesn't she ;)_

_Inuyasha~  
I think I'll change your name to _ōhi-sama_ on my phone. Seems fitting :P_

_Kagome~  
You're milking this…_

But, gods, did that comment make her heart thunder. Inuyasha had a way of making her feel completely at ease and like a schoolgirl experiencing their first love. Everything that he did and said was so unabashedly _simple _that Kagome couldn't help but wonder if it was possible to simply like somebody… nothing more and nothing less.

_Inuyasha~  
But of course._

But there he was, doing exactly that… turning Kagome into a believer. Showing her that liking somebody could be a simple feat; whimsical jokes, unadulterated rage at her expense… _Simply being with me because he wants to, not because of social constructs or peer pressure. _Kagome thumbed out her response after her heart gathered its wits.

_Kagome~  
Fine, but you're becoming _ō-sama_._

_Inuyasha~  
Naturally._

Kagome heard the lock turn on her door.

_Kagome~  
My friends are back… wish me luck, _kareshi_?_

Kagome couldn't help it. If Inuyasha referred to her as _kanojo_ – girlfriend – then she was going to bite right back and call him what he was: _kareshi_, boyfriend.

_Inuyasha~  
May the Force be with you._

_Kagome~  
STAR WARS FAN?!_

_Inuyasha~  
;)_

_Kagome~  
This conversation isn't over!_

_Note to self_, Kagome thought, _change his name to _ō-sama_._

_Inuyasha~  
LOL!_

Inuyasha scrolled through the many messages he and Kagome exchanged throughout the week. He couldn't explain why he felt butterflies, or why his heart did somersaults, or why he had a high whenever he spoke to Kagome. Maybe she _was_ a black priestess that cursed him, but he wasn't complaining. Being around her was just so _different_.

_Just so right._

Seeing the swelling in her jaw and the courageous look in her eyes set something off within him. Inuyasha knew he wanted her to be only his, to hold, to care for, and to protect. But he also knew that even if he was incapable of doing any of that, she could do it herself. And that drove him to do what he did—ask her out.

It was on a limb. He truly didn't know _what_ she was going to say. He was planning on wooing her for a bit longer before going for the kill but he listened to his heart, and everything worked in his favour. Grunting, he got up off of the study chair in his dorm room and looked around, wondering if he could be considered an alcoholic if he popped open a can of beer before six PM.

_I think I deserve a celebratory drink._ And while taking his celebratory drink, Inuyasha decided it would be a _fan-freaking-tastic_ time to let his friends know just what happened.

_Inuyasha~  
Bankotsu, your girlfriend will no longer be the odd-woman out._

It took him a few moments, but Bankotsu finally replied. The other two boys read Inuyasha's message (proven by the 'read' symbol that popped up under Inuyasha's message) but didn't make any effort to respond to him; they figured this conversation wasn't going to require their attention.

Oh, how wrong they were.

_Bankotsu~  
Well, if you keep bringing our little historian along, ofc Banryu won't be the odd-woman out._

_Miroku~  
_Ōhi-sama!

_Inuyasha~  
Well…  
I don't intend on _not_ taking my girlfriend to our group outings._

As Inuyasha expected, there was a _very_ long pause. He kept seeing _'Kouga is typing'_ pop on and off his screen; he could only assume Kouga typed something, deleted it, typed something else, and deleted that as well. After a hilariously long ten seconds, Kouga _did_ reply.

_Kouga~  
… it IS Kagome right?_

_Inuyasha~  
WTF…?! Are you kidding me?_

_Miroku~  
Did you _actually_?!_

_Inuyasha~  
Today, yep._

Inuyasha was amused that he and his friends were engaged in quasi-gossip, as if they were old married women getting their hair done at the salon. Inuyasha wasn't going to wait for them to come back to let them know simply because that wasn't his style. He didn't, however, want to hide it from them for _too_ long either. Banryu frequented the forums and she would be bound to find out sooner rather than later.

Inuyasha would rather his friends hear it from him and not from a half-truthful blog post.

_Bankotsu~  
Damn, bro! Congrats. About time too.  
And we like this one!_

At that comment, Inuyasha rolled his eyes. _There weren't anybody else for you to dislike, so you have no choice_ was what he wanted to reply with, but restrained himself.

_Inuyasha~  
Thanks, I may have to introduce her to you all one day._

_Kouga~  
The man has a sense of humour! Kagome seems to be already changing him from the better._

At the quip, Inuyasha sent a middle finger emoji.

* * *

"What happened?!" Sango rushed in, followed closely by Rin. Ayame wasn't with the two, and Kagome could only assume that she was a little preoccupied until their alleged dinner plans. Plans that, knowing Sango, would be soon cancelled because of the bomb Kagome was about to drop.

No matter.

Sango was the queen of take-out anyway.

"I was brutally attacked by a wild Kikyo." Kagome muttered. "If only I had a Pikachu in my back pocket."_ I do have an Inuyasha, though_. But the last thought she kept to herself. For now.

Sango scowled, ignoring Kagome's Pokémon reference and jumped back to what she said _before_ that. "Kikyo attacked you?! I thought she was the nice, pretty, popular princess of the school—clearly not!" Sango stalked over to Kagome's bed and stared angrily at the icepack. Rin knelt beside the bed and propped her head on her left palm.

"What the heck happened?"

Kagome sighed and sat up. It was time to take the ice off, anyway, as her jaw was beginning to get numb from the cold. Kagome began her story of how she was minding her own business in the library when Kikyo approached her and said all those nasty things about Inuyasha. She could see Sango's plethora of expressions, but Rin remained respectfully neutral. Sango fisted her hand when Kagome got to the part where Kikyo punched her for not listening to a word she had to say.

"Well, probably because I implied she was shitty in the hay." Kagome thought, ruefully. Rin let out a morphed cough-laugh but Sango nodded, appreciatively.

"That's my girl. Then?"

_Then_? "Then I called her bluff, called Inuyasha and asked him on speaker if he knew her. He said no, she left in a huff, I told him she punched me and he was there in less than a minute." It was finally Rin's turn to squeal. Sango was gleaming; unable to hide the wide smile that grew on her face. Rin was all-out bouncing on her knees. Her excitement was palpable and Kagome was getting more and more excited about telling them the _juicy _details.

"_Ō-sama _is so perfect and dreamy and… _ugh_! Kagome, what did you do to deserve his attention? I want an _ō-sama _myself!" Sango and Kagome laughed at Rin's whining, and Kagome couldn't help but give her a nonchalant shrug. She decided it was time to casually drop the news, in utter Kagome fashion.

"I have no idea. I ran in to his bike and next thing I know, he's kissing me between the faculty buildings and asking me to be his girlfriend."

Rin was giggling, unaware of what Kagome said but Sango zeroed in on her. Kagome let out a cheeky giggle. "Yes, best friend?"

"YOU'RE HIS GIRLFRIEND?!"

Rin paused. "Wait, what did I miss?"

"As of an hour and a half ago? Yes, I am his girlfriend."

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Sango sat up straight and shoved Kagome's shoulder. "Why didn't you start with that?! How did it happen? Give me a freaking play-by-play dammit, or I'm shipping your liver back to your mother in a metal box!"

"WHAT DID I MISS?!" Rin stood up, her hands shaking. "Did I hear right?! Sango!" Rin whirled onto Sango with a wild look in her eyes. "**Did I hear right?!**" She whisper-yelled.

Sango confirmed what Rin was dying to hear: "KAGOME IS DATING _Ō-SAMA_!" And Kagome's best friend was less strategic with the volume of her voice.

Sango got up off of the bed and clasped Rin's hands, both of them jumping up and down in circles, unable to contain their squealing. _It's as if they're the ones dating Inuyasha and not me._ Kagome, as stealthily as possibly, picked up her phone and snapped a picture of her friends to quickly send to Inuyasha.

_Kagome~  
And they took it better than I expected._

He replied to her text with a screenshot of his conversation with his friends.

_Inuyasha~  
So did they, _kanojo.

Kagome smiled and put her phone down, returning her attention to her ecstatic friends. Not wanting to have the floor-monitor come and yell at them for making unnecessarily ruckus, Kagome cut their celebration short.

"Okay, okay! I get it, you're happy we're dating! Can we relax now?"

Sango and Rin stopped and turned to Kagome, their eyes lit with excitement. It was contagious, and Kagome couldn't help but laugh. Leaning back, she pressed the icepack back to her face and nodded at her friends to take a seat, lest they begin their celebration once again. Reluctantly, Sango and Rin let go of each other's hands and sat down, one on either side of Kagome, sandwiching her between their bodies.

"How was the kiss?" Rin asked in wonder. Kagome blushed and Sango bit her tongue to stop from squealing.

"She's speechless, _Rin! She's speechless_!"

Rin nodded, trying her damned hardest to not explode. It was at that very moment Kagome realized that it was a goddamned mistake to tell them at their dormitory. Being in public may have been the better option; they were less likely to make idiots of themselves.

_Then again, I don't think they would've cared…_

But to have a support system like the girls was more than Kagome could ask for.

* * *

"_Hogo-sha_." Kagome playfully curtseyed bright and early Monday morning. After Inuyasha's friends found out about Kagome, they insisted on getting her number so that they can _protect her_ as they do Banryu. The pack mentality ran deep with his friends, and Inuyasha appreciated that. Just as he would be willing to beat up for Banryu, he was glad his friends were willing to do the same for Kagome.

A huge group chat – aptly named _His & Her Highness + Royal Minions _– suddenly appeared just hours after the news broke. Banryu was the mastermind behind it, inviting Inuyasha, Kagome, and the three boys. It was in that very group chat (that Kagome shortened to _3hRM_) that Miroku offered to walk Kagome to the canteen for breakfast before accompanying her to the new history building. Kouga, not long after, asked Banryu if they were still up for _their_ morning routine: a jog, followed by grabbing smoothies before heading back to their respective dorms.

_Bankotsu~  
Inuyasha, how is it that the boys spend more time with our girlfriends than we do?_

_Ō-sama~  
Bankotsu, not complaining._

And just as Kagome intended, she changed Inuyasha's name on her phone to his _title_. She knew that he probably changed her name on his phone to match _her_ newfound title:_ Ōhi-sama._

_On that note,_ Kagome thought while grinning at Miroku, _I might as well change this one's name to _his_ newfound title: Hogo-sha!_

"_Ōhi-sama_." Miroku bowed before extending his arm so Kagome could loop hers through his. "How is day one of being _the girlfriend_?" Miroku tried, but failed, to sound ominous. Kagome giggled, liking Miroku more and more every time she spent time with him.

"I don't feel any different." Kagome murmured.

"Sure, until it blows up all over the forum." Miroku wiggled his eyebrows. "_Then_ you'll feel different."

"You sure know how to calm down a girl's nerves." Kagome muttered dryly which drew heartfelt laughter from Miroku. As Kagome anticipated, eyes turned to follow them as they made their way to the canteen. Kagome was betting against herself that her and Miroku's faces would be all over the forum before the end of the night—_and considering that I was just on the forum with Bankotsu the other day, I look like your average ol' floozy._

Though Kagome felt like she _should've_ been bothered by it, she didn't. She was getting caught all over campus with Inuyasha's friends, which actually warmed her heart. It was proof to _her_ above all else that they cared for her, or were putting in an effort to get to know her enough _to_ care about her. If the forum wanted to spread lies then so be it. All that mattered was that Inuyasha believed her.

His opinion was the only one that mattered.

"INCOMING!"

Kagome and Miroku leapt apart as Banryu ran past them. She turned around, grinned and blew a raspberry at the duo before turning back around and continuing her run. Kagome glanced at Miroku before they both looked behind them to see Kouga languidly bring up the rear. Unlike Banryu, he stopped and scooped Kagome into his arms and twirled her around a few times.

"Welcome to the family!"

Kagome couldn't help but laugh. After Kouga was sure Kagome's feet were firmly planted on the ground, he tore after Banryu.

"OY! WAIT THE HELL UP!"

"Are they always so…" Kagome couldn't find the words but Miroku was able to fill in appropriately.

"Energetic? Psychotic? Insane? Yes. Yes they are."

Kagome laughed, her head thrown back and her arms gripping her centre. She had never laughed so much with anybody _other_ than her own group of friends. It was a sensational feeling. Kagome woke up that morning anticipating girls from all corners of the campus to approach her, but nothing of that sort happened. Other than the fact that nobody probably _knew_ about her dating Inuyasha yet, Kagome was almost positive Miroku wanted to walk her to class for the sole purpose of keeping an eye on wayward bitches (ie: Kikyo).

They entered the canteen and all eyes whipped to them. The whispers began and Kagome caught the tail ends of a few: _dating… the king…_

_Or I could be wrong and the student body _did _find out but couldn't approach me because Miroku's been attached to my hip all morning. _"I suppose they found out?" Kagome glanced over at Miroku who nodded once.

"I suppose they did. Any idea how? Nobody was there when he asked you, right?"

Kagome bit her lower lip. "Nobody was but… he _did_ kiss me outside of my dorm?"

"Ahhh, marking his territory." Miroku nodded with faux-seriousness and Kagome thwapped his arm before crossing her own in an attempt to mentally protect herself. The stares were beginning to chew at her resolve and Kagome was seconds away from tearing out of the canteen. She had dated _Hojo_ in high school—that wasn't exactly grounds for popularity. They were both neutral students, able to hang out with kids from both ends of the spectrum.

"Don't pay them any heed, Kagome." Miroku whispered in her ear as they stood in the canteen line. "Inuyasha's been the object of everyone's affection since our first year. You're the first girl he's ever dated— consider this _normal_."

"Why am I the only one?" Kagome asked, grasping at straws.

Miroku smiled, knowingly. "That isn't my story to tell. But just know you're one special woman for him to want to be with you. Inuyasha doesn't easily care for anybody, but one he does… man is it something fierce."

Kagome's heart fluttered. _He cares something fierce…_ she repeated in her head. The two of them found a seat in a corner and began eating their breakfast. Miroku was filling Kagome in on all of his failed relationships in the past, and she quietly listened, picking up on a glaring obvious theme.

"_Hogo-sha_, you can't ask a girl to be with you by demanding they bear you a child."

Miroku frowned. "But… that's how it worked with _my_ parents."

"Good for them. But that isn't going to fly with this generation." Kagome laughed. "Try romancing them… ask Bankotsu and Inuyasha!"

"Oh forget that! I'd never hear the end of it." Miroku leaned back in his seat. "_You_ tell _me_ what our famous campus king did."

"Find your own methods to get a girlfriend and leave mine alone."

Kagome and Miroku looked over to see Inuyasha standing two steps away from their table, arms crossed with half a smirk on his face. Kagome immediately felt her blush begin to expand, starting right at her core. Miroku sighed dejectedly and allowed his shoulders to sag.

"Why can't you consider this research and let me be?"

"Afraid not." Inuyasha closed the distance between them and, effortlessly, placed a gentle kiss on Kagome's forehead. "Keep my wooing strategy a secret, will you, _kanojo_?"

Kagome's blush was at full force. She could _feel_ the heat radiating off of her. Miroku was oblivious.

"Endearing pet names that make the people around you cringe and want to bash their heads in with a cinderblock? _Check_."

"Fuck off." Inuyasha grinned, standing up straight and turning to face Miroku. The two friends laughed and Kagome busied herself with drinking her coffee.

"Are you stealing my morning company to class?"

"Afraid so." Inuyasha nodded. "Will you be okay manning the masses of women on your own?"

"I'll start throwing out cheesy pet names. I'll be fine." Miroku stood up, winking at Kagome. At that, the retort that sat on her tongue bubbled out.

"I doubt that'll keep the girls away, Mr. Bear-Me-An-Heir."

Inuyasha snorted at the term of endearment. Miroku placed a hand over his chest and pretended to look wounded. "Your tongue is as sharp as Inuyasha's. Match made in heaven." Without waiting for either two of the royal couple to respond, Miroku made his way away from the table and towards the exit. Kagome saw that he stopped at a particularly cute freshman. The way that her face darkened confirmed Kagome's suspicions that he probably asked her to bear him an heir.

"He's as tactful as a jellyfish." Inuyasha slid in to the seat Miroku was in. "How was your night?"

Kagome smiled. "Eventful. Yours?"

"Probably the same… what're you doing tonight?"

_Calm down, stupid heart!_

"Archery tryouts are tonight." Kagome informed him. Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up, a clear look of admiration reflecting in his eyes.

"Archery?"

Kagome nodded, trying to look calm but knowing she was failing. "Yep. I've been doing it since I was a kid…"

"Do you mind if I come watch?"

Kagome's eyes locked with his. He was nothing but sincere—nobody had wanted to watch her in the past. In fact, Hojo tried to do everything in his power _not_ to watch her practice. It wasn't exactly a _lively_ sport.

"If you want…"

Inuyasha grinned. "I want. When do I meet you?"

"Six? On the target field? Tryouts start at seven." Kagome was gripping her coffee cup in an attempt to hide her shaking appendages.

"How about five forty-five, at your dorm, and we grab some bubble tea before walking together to the target field?"

His lips tugged and Kagome couldn't help but smile back at him. "You, _kareshi_, have yourself a date."


	12. To Crumble His Foundation

"I've been meaning to ask you." Kagome started just as she pushed past the double doors of her dormitory building. Inuyasha was leaned against a tree just across the entrance, scrolling through his phone when he heard Kagome's voice. He smiled, taking three long strides to close the gap between them. Wordlessly, he tugged her bag off of her shoulder and gripped it in his left hand. His right hand reached to interlace his finger's through Kagome's.

"Meaning to ask me what?"

Kagome gulped, already forgetting what she was going to ask him. He had a way of enveloping her with his dominant aura and distracting her with his blatant desire to care for her. Kagome never experienced anything of the sort before; he wasn't overwhelming yet Inuyasha made it a point to show Kagome that deeply cared for her with little subconscious gestures.

"Uhh…"

Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk down at his girlfriend. "What? Do I make you starstruck as well?"

Kagome paused for a beat before rolling her eyes. His sarcastic quip was enough to light the fire under sassy-Kagome's bottom. "You _know_ you do." Well, at least he _should_ know. Kagome wasn't exactly secretive in how he affected her… she was good at playing things off, sure, but she never tried to hide her feelings from him. "You had me the moment I saw you pull up on Tetsusaiga and sexily take your helmet off during the orientation fair." Kagome grinned up at Inuyasha and wiggled her fingers from his grasp. She tugged on one of his rogue locks of hair that had freed itself from his braid, "Showing off all of this goddamned long silver hair."

Totally caught off guard, Inuyasha couldn't help but throw his head back in laughter. He brought his hand up to hold Kagome's once again. He didn't feel right without the contact. "Oh I remember the look on your face."

"You remember seeing me?!" Kagome wasn't expecting _that_.

He winked. "Absolutely. I'm glad you found the show sexy."

"Were you trying to show off for me?" Kagome was absolutely oblivious to everybody stopping and staring, in awe of their revered king laughing. Though Kagome knew _some_ bits of Inuyasha's history, what she _didn't_ know was he was never see laughing and joking with a girl. In fact, it was a rare feat to see even when he was out in public with his friends. He maintained a modicum of indifference 99.9% of the time.

"Maybe, you'll never know—now weren't you meaning to ask me something?"

Kagome glared playfully but appreciated him changing the subject. "You're a Star Wars fan?"

"Absolutely I am." Inuyasha said, quite proudly. "Why? Is my _kanojo_ as well?"

Kagome pretended to flick the invisible dirt off of her shoulder. "I'm more of a Harry Potter girl myself—"

"Nah," Inuyasha, effortlessly, tugged Kagome towards him, twirling her in the process so that her back was pressed against his chest. "You're _my_ girl."

Kagome felt his heart beating against her back and she lost the ability to breathe. His mouth was a hairsbreadth away from her ear; she could almost feel his lips caressing her ear's shell. The hand that he used to twirl her around now rested comfortably around her waist, pulling her deeper into his body… closer into his warmth.

His thumb found its way just underneath her shirt and he began to draw a lazy pattern on her bare skin, causing immediate heat to expand from Kagome's core to all endpoints of her body. Her surroundings disappeared; it was as if it was only her and Inuyasha standing in the middle of an open endless white plane.

"AHHH, _Ō-SAMA_!"

And _that_ broke Kagome out of her reverie. Kagome jerked away from Inuyasha, finally inhaling. Inuyasha's eyes flickered over to a few girls taking their picture before he brought his attention back to Kagome. "Let's keep going?"

Nodding dumbly, Kagome continued leading the path to the canteen for their pre-archery bubble tea, purposely keeping half-a-step in front of Inuyasha. The intensity of the situation almost drove her insane and Kagome was not ready to experience that again.

Yet.

* * *

Inuyasha found himself a spot seated behind the senior archers and slouched, just slightly. His eyes were locked onto the poised form of his girlfriend; there was a strong set in her jaw and her lean muscles rippled when she drew back her arrow on the bowstring. Twelve students were trying out for the archery team, and Inuyasha was very confident that Kagome was perhaps the best one out of all of them.

"Higurashi!"

Inuyasha glanced at the captain of the archery team, a grimy little bastard that he wasn't too fond of, Onigumo Naraku. He looked back at Kagome in time to see her release the bowstring. Her arrow shot forward and hit bullseye. She reached for another from the quiver that was strapped to her back and prepared her bow once again, but this time aiming towards the sky. A moving target began shooting past the skyline but Kagome released her arrow at the precise moment, shattering the target into pieces.

A collective gasp sounded from the crowd.

"_Nobody's ever done that—"_

"_Naraku senpai was the only one who ever hit the moving target."_

"_Kaede senpai almost hit one her first year!"_

Inuyasha listened to the chattering. _Keh, of course Kagome can hit the damned target._ Although Inuyasha hadn't the foggiest idea of how good Kagome was with her archery, he couldn't help but feel biasedly confident in her skill level. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was now her boyfriend, and that mean that she was automatically the superior in anything she attempted to do.

While Inuyasha didn't care for archery, he wanted to accompany Kagome to get to know her. He wanted to understand her and enter _her _world. What he didn't expect was to be so completely enthralled by the sheer power she exuded while practicing archery.

It wasn't sport archery that caught his attention… it was _Kagome_ and _her _archery.

His phone buzzed in his leather jacket pocket. Inuyasha fished it out, manoeuvring around Kagome's phone (she had him carry all of her important things), and took one glance at the caller ID. Instantaneously, his half-smile morphed into a grimace.

"What?"

"Come now, little brother, you know I only mean well."

"Yeah, yeah. What do you need?" Inuyasha spied Kagome approach the senior archers. He immediately felt his free hand clench into a fist when Naraku began speaking.

"I need you home. For a week. It's for the will."

Inuyasha waved at Kagome who was beaming at him. Apparently, everything went well; the pride she had in herself was shining in her hypnotizing eyes. "So it's final?" Inuyasha asked while keeping his eyes locked on Kagome's figure. She was speaking to some of the students that tried out while packing away the arrows and the quiver.

"It is. As much as you harbour ill feelings towards me—"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, despite being on a phone call. "Can you _not_ talk normally?"

"Just come home. Tonight. I'll send the jet?"

"No. I'll take the bullet. Get Jaken to pick me up tonight at the station."

"As you wish."

Inuyasha didn't bother with saying goodbye as he hung up. He didn't care much for his older _half_ brother, but family was family and with the recent passing of his father, he needed to play nice with Sesshomaru until the will was read. Not wanting his family matters to bring him down, Inuyasha pushed himself off of his seat and weaved his way around the bleachers in time to catch his girlfriend around her waist. She had been running towards him, her excitement tangible.

"I did it! I earned a spot on the team!"

Inuyasha saw Naraku glance in their direction. _If you even look at her…_ Inuyasha channeled his threat telepathically, hoping Naraku got the message.

"I didn't doubt you for a second, _kanojo_."

Kagome giggled, pecking his lips. "Food? My treat?"

"Funny." He took her bow from her. "Food, _my_ treat. Let's go get my car?"

"Awe, no Tetsusaiga?"

He smirked, his previous worries already fading away. "You're fond of the beast, I see?"

"She's growing on me." Kagome shrugged with faux-nonchalance. Chuckling, he interlaced his fingers through hers and guided her off of the target field and away from Naraku's watchful eye.

* * *

Seeing as their relationship was more or less public, Inuyasha took Kagome to a pretty busy ramen shop a block away from campus. It was busy, filled to the brim with people but that merely added to the welcoming and rustic ambiance the shop was going for. Kagome dismounted Tetsusaiga and pulled her helmet off, staring at the restaurant with watering mouth.

"Wipe the drool, _kanojo_."

Kagome elbowed Inuyasha. "I can say the same to you, _kareshi_."

He snorted but didn't retort. With a gentle grab of her elbow, he guided her inside and was lucky enough to snag a table meant for a couple situated in the far-left corner of the shop. Kagome nestled into the chair and watched as Inuyasha strode back to the counter to place their orders. Her stomach was in knots and her heart gave the odd extra loud _thump _sporadically. The more time she spent time with Inuyasha, the more she was truly beginning to understand the depth of her feelings for him. What she felt for him was already more than what she felt for any other boy in her life.

And she wasn't even too sure what to call the feeling. It definitely wasn't love… _not yet, at least._

_Sorry, ex-boyfriend. _Kagome thought, unapologetically. Inuyasha slid in to the seat across from her and pushed his helmet to the side.

"You're deep in thought?"

"Contemplating the flavour profiles of ramen." Kagome was quick with her comeback, having been thinking of one since she realized she was checking Inuyasha out. He simply grinned.

"Your basic food group." He whispered, as if he was letting Kagome in on a deep, dark secret. Kagome exaggeratedly rolled her eyes.

"You don't actually believe that…"

"Unfortunately, I do." Inuyasha winked. Kagome exhaled loudly and shook her head, amused at the turn that their conversation took. "You can add _anything_ to ramen and it'll taste good."

"I wish I could argue with you on that, but that is a fact." Kagome said with mock sadness. Inuyasha snorted before crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. Kagome watched him, unsure of what to say; the air between them changed so quickly it almost gave Kagome whiplash.

"I have to go to Okinawa for a week." Inuyasha finally said. Kagome blinked a few times before smiling gently.

"You warned me you would, remember?"

Inuyasha exhaled, unaware he had been holding his breath. He almost didn't even realize that her being okay with his impromptu trip was fundamentally important to him. "I can't back out of it… I wish I could."

Kagome wanted to ask him what it was about, but she refrained. If he wanted to share, he would and judging by how tense he was, Kagome was certain that he probably didn't want to talk about the reason for his visit back home. "Like I said, as least lectures are online. And apparently you're some sort of genius student or something."

He cracked a smile. "Second smartest architect."

"Only second? Disappointing…" Kagome sighed with exaggeration and Inuyasha found himself thoroughly amused. "I get the boy but he's second smartest in his department. Who's beating you?!"

Inuyasha grinned. "Kouga."

"Really?"

"Yep. The guy has a knack for architecture." Inuyasha looked over his shoulder when heard their number being called out. Excusing himself, he went to grab their bowls and came back in a heartbeat. He placed Kagome's bowl in front of her before he set his own bowl down.

"Enjoy your meal, _kanojo_."

Kagome held up her chopsticks and winked at Inuyasha. "Ramen with the ever-so-talented-but-not-really-smart _ō-sama_? Of course I'll enjoy it."

"Aren't you a cheeky one."

Kagome laughed and then dug in to her food. Inuyasha, though normally hypnotized by ramen, was otherwise hypnotized by his _kanojo_. Everything about her was so flawlessly perfect that he found himself utterly enthralled by her. Setting his chopsticks down, Inuyasha reached into the inside breast pocket of his jacket and pulled out a Lexus key fob.

"You drive, right?"

Kagome nodded without looking at him, too busy slurping her ramen. It wasn't until he slid the key towards her that Kagome paused to register what he asked.

"What're you doing…?"

"I don't like you having to walk everywhere… so you can use my car, if you want, while I'm gone."

"No!" Kagome pushed the key back towards him. "I can't do that! And besides, you said Miroku uses it while you use the bike!"

Inuyasha smiled. "You _can_ do that and yes, he does." He made a mouth zipping motion when he saw Kagome move to retort. She immediately clamped her mouth shut. "But he's coming with me to Okinawa." Though Miroku didn't know of the plans, he had made it clear that whenever Inuyasha made plans to go to Okinawa, Miroku was coming too. _I'm not letting you face your family alone,_ Miroku had told Inuyasha not long after his father passed away. At that time Inuyasha hadn't realize just how important Miroku's sentiment would be for him.

"But—"

"You don't have to drive the thing, just hang onto the key in case you need it. This is more for my sake than yours."

Reluctantly, Kagome picked up the key fob and studied it. Her eyes snapped to Inuyasha and her shoulders shrugged while she sighed dejectedly. "Fine, but I'm not going to use it."

He grinned, a stupid hint of victory shining in his eyes. "You don't have to."

"Where is it parked?" Kagome asked, mildly annoyed at how smug he sounded.

"Parking building A, floor 12, spot 141."

Kagome balked. "How am I going to _remember_ that?! And why are there more than 12 floors in the parking building—wait…" Kagome's eyes widened. "Parking building A? How many parking buildings are there?!"

Inuyasha was deadpanned. "Are any of your questions relevant?"

"No but—"

Inuyasha held a hand up. "I'll text you where my car is parked."

Kagome frowned and pointed her chopsticks at Inuyasha. "I'm agreeing but I'm not liking this."

"Didn't ask you to like it, _kanojo_."

Kagome snorted. "I liked you better as a man of few words."

"I still am." Inuyasha beamed.

"Yeah, yeah." Kagome waved him of and dug back into her ramen. Inuyasha sipped on his broth, observing Kagome over the rim of his soup spoon. He wanted to ensure she was taken care of… a feeling he never experienced before.

Tearing his gaze away from her, he finally dug in to his food. He never thought he'd ever let his indifferent façade slip, not even with his significant other. Inuyasha truly believed that pretending to not give a shit was the easiest thing to do. He hadn't anticipated on getting even _remotely _riled up over the fact that Kagome didn't want to take his car key, but there he was, caring more than he thought he was going to.

He quickly looked at her, her eyes closed as she swallowed a mouth full of noodle.

_But I'm glad it's _her_ that's making me care more than I want to…_

* * *

Inuyasha drove himself, Miroku and Kagome to the bullet station, intending for Kagome to drive his car back. Miroku went in to the station to buy their tickets, giving Inuyasha and Kagome a moment alone.

"Be safe," Kagome whispered, twisting her fingers around. She was sad, inevitably, that he was leaving for a week, but didn't know how to convey that emotion. Inuyasha smiled, bringing his hands up to cover her fidgeting ones.

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to see my brother."

Kagome exhaled silently but nodded nonetheless. "You'll be home Friday?"

_Home… _Inuyasha didn't miss how that single word made his heart skip a beat.

"I'll be home Friday." He confirmed. "I'll call you and you come get us? Or would you rather I get Kouga or Bankotsu?"

Kagome shook her head: "I'll come get you. Just let me know your arrival time?"

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. He didn't answer her question, instead changing the topic altogether. "Hey…" His voice was husky, a low drawl that reverberated through his chest. "Tell me something?"

Kagome tipped her head back to look him in the eyes. "What?"

"Tell me it's okay to message you good morning everyday… _every morning_." Inuyasha smiled when he saw the blush creep up Kagome's neck. "Tell me it's okay, and I'll start tomorrow morning, _kanojo_."

Kagome subconsciously smiled. "On one condition." She murmured, resulting in Inuyasha cocking an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"You don't stop calling me goodnight every night."

Inuyasha pressed his lips against her forehead and Kagome relished the domestic feeling. "I'll never stop, Kagome."

Kagome tightened her hold around his torso, squeezing her hug. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her until the very moment he had to let her go. They weren't in each others' lives for very long, but _damn_ did Kagome feel like an essential part of his being. Her presence comforted him, and her touched soothed him. She was melting an icy glacier that guarded his heart without him realizing it, and while it _should_ scare him, it didn't.

Inuyasha was looking forward to the day that she broke all of his barriers.

He _wanted_ her to. He wanted her to deconstruct his foundation, building him back up to the man he wanted to be…

"Inuyasha! We leave in five!" Miroku called, popping his head out of the station. Inuyasha looked over at him and nodded, silently asking for two minutes. Miroku gave him a thumbs up and disappeared back into the station; he had already taken his and Inuyasha's bags in an effort to give Inuyasha a few extra seconds with his girlfriend.

"Take care." Kagome said, pulling back. "Eat well, sleep tight, and don't forget me."

Inuyasha half-smiled. "Impossible." He curled his fingers around the back of Kagome's neck and pulled her up to meet his lips halfway. Kagome tightened her grip on his jacket and moaned into his mouth, ecstasy coursing through her veins. Her mind was spinning out of control and when Inuyasha pushed to deep the kiss, Kagome lost the power to even stand. Inuyasha was keeping her upright, her chest against his as their auras tangoing together.

"I'll see you on Friday?" He whispered as he broke the kiss.

Kagome nodded, letting him go reluctantly. "Bye…"

With one final peck, Inuyasha shoved his hands in his jeans pant pockets and disappeared into the bullet train station. Kagome waited by Inuaysha's car, watching as the train pulled into the station. While she couldn't _see_ Inuyasha, she waited until the train left before trudging over to the driver seat and buckling in. While she was adjusting her rear-view mirror, her phone buzzed loudly in her purse.

Incoming text message.

_Ō-sama__~  
PS: I'll miss you something fierce. Stay safe, _kanojo_._

* * *

**You all have probably noticed this story is PRIMARILY in Kagome's point of view. To those who've followed my writing throughout the years, you know I tend to flip between points of views to give insight on both characters. With this story, I am mainly focusing on Kagome's side to maintain the mystery behind Inuyasha **_**but**_** I also wanted to convey his emotions… thus, a few small scenes where we got to see how he feels :)**


	13. Challenging His Queen

Two days passed since Inuyasha left for Okinawa. As promised, he texted her good morning first thing when he woke up and called her goodnight after he knew she'd be home for the day. The time in the middle, however, he rarely contacted her. Kagome didn't mind though; he clearly put in an effort to be in contact with her as often as he could, and knowing that he went away for a family emergency, she wasn't going to be a brat over the lack of communication.

Also, he really gave her _zero_ reason to be doubtful.

"So you _don't_ want a girlfriend." Kagome rose an eyebrow while sipping her bubble tea. Bankotsu, Kouga, and Banryu called Kagome out for an evening of bubble tea and karaoke. She gladly accepted, given that her own friends were a little busy that evening and she had caught up with her readings and homework. It was also a great opportunity to get to know Inuyasha's friends a bit better.

"Eventually." Kouga shrugged, glancing over at Banryu who belted a popular Western song. "But not yet."

"Why not?"

"Because," Bankotsu slid beside Kagome and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "he doesn't have the sexual dominance that Inuyasha and I have. _We_ are men capable of wooing women. This one and Miroku—" Bankotsu laughed when Kouga tried to throw a punch. He hid behind Kagome, forcing Kouga to cross his arms in annoyance.

"Sure. Hide behind the woman. That's _so_ manly of you."

"That's sexism—Kagome is just as capable as myself when defending against you. Hey! Let's take a selfie and send it to our beloved king." Bankotsu playfully winked at Kagome and pulled his cellphone out. Kagome held up both her fingers in little peace signs and Bankotsu kept his arm wrapped around Kagome's shoulder. Kouga clambered up beside Kagome and pressed his cheek against hers. Banryu, not one to be left out, sidled up next to Kouga and mimicked the pose Kagome did.

"Everybody say _ōhi-sama_!"

Kagome couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh, and it was that precise moment Bankotsu snapped the picture. Without waiting for the group's approval, Bankotsu texted the image to Inuyasha via their group chat.

_Bankotsu~  
We don't need you two to have fun  
#BanBan  
#Kougome_

Kagome stared at the hashtags and looked up at Banryu, more than amused. "BanBan?"

"Don't ask," Banryu scowled. "I hate it too."

"I like _Kougome_." Kouga grinned. "If stupid hashtags are a thing common in relationships, find me a woman. I want a hashtag that's a combination of mine and my woman's names."

"Absolutely not, if that's the sole reason you want a girlfriend!" Kagome laughed. Their phones buzzed, indicating that either Miroku or Inuyasha replied. All four of them pulled their phones out to read the response.

_Ō__-sama__~  
#Inume_

"That's fucking adorable!" Banryu squealed, excitedly tapping out her response.

_Banryu~  
If and when you two have a daughter, #Inume all the fucking way!_

"Banryu!" Kagome hit her new friend playfully. "I've literally only been dating the man for less than a day!"

"You have not _literally_ been dating him for less than a day." Banryu rolled her eyes. "But also, he really likes you. And this man does not _like_ easily."

Kouga, who was half paying attention, suddenly perked up when he saw a song of his favour listed on the karaoke machine. As it was a duet, he grabbed Kagome's upper arm and dragged her over to the station. Unbeknownst to Kagome, Banryu took a short video of Kouga and Kagome performing and sent it to Inuyasha through a personal chat, one that the other friends weren't privy to.

_Banryu~  
I love her. When will you?_

_Inuyasha~  
You can't rush stuff like that._

_Banryu~  
But soon?_

_Inuyasha~  
I'd say sooner rather than later, if things keep up._

_Banryu~  
Good. After Tsubaki, you need somebody like Kagome._

_Inuyasha~  
Tsubaki has nothing to do with this. I chose her because I like her._

_Banryu~  
Good._

* * *

Between classes and the book restoration club, Kagome was pretty occupied during Inuyasha's absence. It wasn't to say that she didn't _notice_ it, because she did. Every second of the day she felt his absence. The stares in the corridors were becoming more frequent, and although Kagome wasn't used to it, she was expecting it. A few articles popped up on the forum too—Sango was more than happy to summarize everything.

The one article that Kagome _did_ read had actually bothered her. It was posted by a person with the pseudonym _plumefeatherXOXO_. The penname was not a leading indicator for anything, and Kagome assumed it was just a person who liked plumes…

**_Inuyasha Takahashi, pitying those lesser than him!_**

_I mean, what else could it be?! This freshman, whatever the hell her name is, appears out of nowhere and a week later he's dating her? How the hell is that even **possible**? She must've done something—how many of us throughout the years wanted nothing more than his attention and this bit*h gets it? How good is her ability to suck di*k?_

_Ugh. I can't stand seeing her face. She's nothing special but she makes our king fcking lose his mind when he is around her. I see the way he follows her with his eyes, like a goddamned lost puppy. And now that he left for business or something, his damn friends are protecting her. I bet she's sleeping with **them** too! I swear to God if I get her alone…_

_Rant over._

_Peace, love, and butterflies =3  
plumefeatherXOXO_

Kagome hadn't intended on reading the article, but she was going through the forum and couldn't help but read through the post; _it was a pretty eye-catching subject line_. It was uploaded twenty-one hours ago, but Sango must've missed it when she was giving Kagome the summary of all the articles she had read earlier that day. Deciding that it wasn't _personal_, Kagome pushed the shitty feeling to the back of her mind. _This person doesn't know who I am... they only know me as Inuyasha's girlfriend._ She consoled herself. _They don't hate Higurashi Kagome, they hate **his** girlfriend_.

Sitting in the Restoration Room, a place specifically dedicated to the book restoration group, Kagome worked intently on pages of ancient texts that a museum in Tokyo commissioned to be restored. Only a few schools across the country were honoured with such tasks, and Shuto just so happened to be them.

On the far end of the room were the twins, Dai and Roku, and just a few seats away from them was the only other girl in the club, Souten. The other two members, who Kagome had yet to meet, were unable to attend a few sessions as per the emails they sent Dai.

Kagome's phone buzzed to life beside her. Her eyes flickered to her phone and Kagome immediately dropped her tools when she saw it was her boyfriend calling. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the other three were preoccupied so she answered with haste and spoke breathlessly.

"Hey, _kareshi_." _Please don't hear my heart fucking pounding in my chest over the phone, Inuyasha!_ Though not possible, it was still a prayer she had to send up to the Gods.

"How's my _kanojo_?"

Kagome smiled, hearing his voice. "I'm fine. Restoring books—it isn't goodnight time yet?"

"Can't a man call his girlfriend to check up on her? Besides, Bankotsu and Kouga haven't check up on you in a few hours so I thought I'd check in." Kagome heard the amused lilt in his voice. She, however, couldn't help but frown.

"Check up on me? I thought we were hanging out because they're my friends, not because my boyfriend hired them as my bodyguards."

"You _are_ friends with them, silly. I just have my men protect what's mine."

Her core clenched. Something about a possessive yet understanding boyfriend did something to Kagome's insides. _And by insides, I totally mean my womanly nether region_. "Fine. Fair. I'll let you have this one."

"I wasn't going to let _you_ have it." Inuyasha grinned, but she heard his tone of voice shift to a tighter one. "Did you… read the forum?"

At his inquiry, Kagome couldn't help but smile like a goofball. _So that's the reason he's calling. How sweet._ "_I _did, I didn't realize _you_ did."

Inuyasha was hesitant to reply, but figured he might as well tell her. Being secretive wouldn't get them anywhere. "I normally don't, but with me being gone I wanted to keep an eye on it… who the hell is _plumfeather_?"

"Beats me."

His next question caught her off guard: "_Are_ you sleeping with Kouga?"

"Inuyasha!"

His laughter was contagious and Kagome found herself giggling. "Sorry, inappropriate, I know. But he can get… _pushy."_

"After telling me today he doesn't want a girlfriend, I find that hard to believe."

"His entire existence is hard to believe." Kagome heard shuffling in the background. Before long, a voice called out for Inuyasha, breaking his attention away from their conversation.

_"Little brother, are you quite done? We have to finish the reading of the will."_

Kagome frowned. _Will_?

"Coming. I will call you tonight?"

It took Kagome a moment to realize he was talking to her. She replied and they both bade each other farewell. Kagome gently put her phone down beside her and stared at it, confused. _Will? But he told me his mother passed away a while ago… when he was a kid. So whose final will are they—_Kagome froze. _His father? He never said anything about his father passing away…_

Her heart hurt, both for him and for the fact he couldn't share something like that with her. Hoping to God that there was a reason behind his secretiveness, Kagome buried herself back in her work, trying to keep her mind off of the mysteries of her boyfriend's personal life.

* * *

Dressed in a nicely tailored grey suit vest and matching slacks, Inuyasha sat between his brother and Miroku near the head of a long table. His long silver hair was pulled back into a tight braid and the sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up, revealing a peek of a tattoo sleeve that stopped just a few inches above his wrist. It was an ode to his family, parts being added as their lives continued to morph as their ugly truth kept unravelling.

Myouga Nomi, their father's lawyer for decades, sat at the head of the table. Across Inuyasha was Seshomaru's mother, Kimi Takahashi. The _first_ ugly truth of the Takahashi family was her, Toga Takahashi's first wife. They never divorced… they remained married when Inuyasha's father committed polygamy and married Izayoi Takahashi.

It was a messy childhood for the Takahashi sons. Both brothers vied for their father's affection, but Toga was skilled at keeping the balance. He loved his boys equally, and never once had one feel lesser than the other, despite the fact that each son came from a different wife.

Beside Kimi were Toga's two brothers, Saya and Bokusenou, and across from them and to the left of Sesshomaru, were the Takahashi brothers' five cousins: Bokusenou's kids, twin boys Kaze and Kizu, and their younger sister Honoki, and Saya's son and daughter, Sou, and Tensu. Though Inuyasha didn't have _greatest_ feelings towards his brother, he had nothing but respect for him. In a childhood filled with grief after his mother passed away, where the Takahashi family treated him as scum as he was the son of the second wife, Sesshomaru (in his own way) protected him.

Perhaps the elder Takahashi felt bad, or maybe it was a promise he made to their father. Inuyasha would never know. But for what it was worth, he was glad that Sesshomaru was beside him, and he wasn't at the reading alone, without any blood ties.

"I thank you all for being here today." Inuyasha was absentmindedly twirling a pen as the family prepared for the reading; Myouga's voice broke him out of his reverie.

"Particularly, Master Inuyasha." Myouga bowed his head to the younger Takahashi son. "I understand being here is a diffic—"

"Just get on with it. My brother doesn't need your pity." Sesshomaru cut the lawyer off before Inuyasha could slam a hand down on the oak table. Inuyasha glanced over and sent a subtle nod to Sesshomaru, silently thanking him for intervening. He _didn't_ need pity. He was already well-off with the inheritance his mother left him, her side of the family was more than okay financially. They still kept in touch with him, but they were scattered across the globe and couldn't be more present in his life. But Inuyasha knew they wanted to. Their actions spoke much louder than words, and calling him once a week to check up on him spoke loud enough.

They _tried_. It was more than what he could say for the Takahashi side of things.

"My apologies." Myouga straightened out some papers. "To begin…"

Inuyasha looked over at Miroku who nodded at him. He was glad that Miroku tagged along; if anybody knew about the Takahashi family drama, it was his childhood friend.

* * *

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL _PLUMEFEATHER!"_ Sango's shriek echoed within the walls of their dorm room. Kagome rolled her eyes and climbed into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. Rin and Ayame, however, shared the same sentiment as Sango.

"Who does this person think they are?" Rin asked, her voice nasty. "She, or he, probably slept with everything that has two legs and a heartbeat!"

"They're jealous!" Ayame concurred. "Maybe Inuyasha was waiting for the right woman and _that_ woman is _our_ Kagome! So what if they've been going to school with him for longer, **that doesn't mean he likes you**! Ugh, I _hate_ drama!" Ayame climbed into her own bed and hugged her body pillow. "Can we find somebody from the computer sciences department to track her IP address or something? My fist is itching to give some low-class ho a bruise."

"My god, why are you so vulgar?" Kagome called out, almost laughing. Ayame blew her tongue at Kagome before retorting, telling her that the _itching for a bruising_ bit was all because she loved Kagome way more than she should. It was that which made Kagome appreciate her two new friends; they hadn't been in each other's lives for a long time, but Rin and Ayame were quickly becoming just as important to her as Sango was.

Kagome's phone buzzed, indicating she received a text message. As Sango vented, Kagome took a quick peek:

_Banryu~  
I'm scouting down this plumfeather bitch for you, Kagome._

_Kouga~  
I'm helping!_

_Bankotsu~  
We all are!_

_Miroku~  
Please don't go to jail while we're away. Somebody needs to bail you all out, and the only one rich enough is Inuyasha._

_Ō__-sama__~  
Who says I'm going to bail anybody out?_

_Bankotsu~  
We're going to jail to defend your missus' honour, you're obligated, you ungrateful bitch._

_Ō__-sama__~  
Keh. Kagome will bail you out._

_Kagome~  
*puppy dog eyes*_

_Ō__-sama__~  
Fuck._

_Kouga~  
LOL!_

Kagome put her phone down in time to see Sango kick a shoe. "I am so angry!"

"Relax." Kagome sat up. "This person is just trying to get a reaction out of me. If we do _anything_, it's fuelling their anger. If we don't react, they'll stop. Can we now focus on something _other_ than my obvious notoriety with the female populous?"

Sango sighed, defeated, but she slumped down onto a chair without argument. "Fine. How about we all go for dinner? We keep planning but nothing ever comes to fruition."

"Down!" Ayame called and Rin nodded.

"They have a brand-new restaurant that opened up, the only one of its kind." Rin murmured. "But it's a while away… too far too walk, and too far to cab; it'll get expensive. I guess let's stay local?"

Kagome grinned. _Sure_ she said she wasn't going to but… _but this is a special occasion and he did say I can use it!_ Sitting up straighter, she crossed her arms haughtily and revealed the reason for her excitement to her friends.

"Your beloved king _may have _left me the keys to his car…"

Rin's eyes widened and Ayame clambered up to the edge of her bed, on all fours.

"STOP!" Ayame squealed.

"Let's go for a ride, ladies!"

Collective squeals echoed off of the walls of their small enclosed space.

* * *

Sitting in his father's study with Miroku, Inuyasha couldn't help but bark out a laugh when he saw Kagome send him a selfie of her and her friends in his car. A surge of pride swelled in is heart seeing that she _was_ using his car. He did feel better knowing she had that and wasn't using a taxi to navigate around Tokyo.

"You good?" Miroku called over. He was on his laptop, doing some readings for the classes he was missing.

"Yep." Inuyasha answered back, not wanting to share that moment with anybody. It was meant to be shared with him and Kagome… a moment that was a product of their relationship and their personalities. He couldn't be positive as to what it was about her that drew him in… perhaps it was the way her eyes shone up at him when she ran in to his bike. Or maybe it was the way her eyes followed him that very first day at the campus fair.

Whatever it was, he noticed her. And he was damn well happy to know she noticed him back. Inuyasha wasn't one to believe at love at first sight, but his soul craved her even before he knew her. And if there was anything his mother taught him in the short decade she had been in his life, it was to follow the call of his soul.

_"There's no worse pain than the regret of one's soul, koinu."_ Izayoi Takahashi whispered to him one night. _"What your soul wants, go for it."_

_"But what about the heart, okaa-san?" _A young Inuyasha countered, holding onto a stuffed dog that was missing its front left leg.

_"A heart can heal, koinu. A soul cannot. Follow your soul, but at the same time, don't destroy somebody else's. That regret you will never be able to overcome."_

Those words echoed with him wherever he went. And it was what part of what made him the man he was.

* * *

Although Inuyasha's friends made an effort to keep her company, she had to tell them to stop. She wanted to have a few moments to herself but with the boys constant hovering or Banryu wanting to make plans at any given moment of the day, it was suffocating. She knew they thought it was in her best interest, but she had to put her foot down.

So, for the first time since Inuyasha left, Kagome was walking back from class alone. Usually Kouga accompanied her but things worked out in her favour: he had to hang back in class for an assignment, and she wanted some time alone. Bankotsu did offer, but Kagome politely declined. He and Banryu had plans and she didn't want to be a cockblock.

Kagome decided to take the long way back to her dorm room. Inuyasha's car key felt heavy in her pocket, but she took it with her wherever she went. It was a piece of him that she wanted to keep with her, it made her feel as if he was with her.

Inuyasha was scheduled to come home in a few more days, but time couldn't go by any slower. They had their nightly chats and a few quick messages here and there, but it wasn't the same. In the short sweet time they were together, he weaved so intricately into her life that Kagome found it difficult to exist a few simple days without him.

The notion as scary. _And it's bad, if things to sideways._ Kagome wasn't a pessimist but she also wasn't one to have faith in longevity of relationships. She'd seen enough broken ones in her lifetime to have that much faith. She wasn't a disbeliever, and Kagome wouldn't try to sabotage her own relationship, but she wasn't the type to plan out a future without some semblance of marital-security.

"Whore."

Kagome whipped around to see Kikyo glaring at her. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!"

"Do you even know what a whore is?"

A crowd began to collect around them. Kagome eyed them warily but kept her focus on Kikyo. The girl punched her once, she was sure she would do it again. This time, however, Kagome wasn't going to sit back and take it.

"I'm looking at one." Kikyo snarled nastily. "You think you can come to this school and claim what's mine!"

"But he's not yours." Kagome shifted her tablet, which she was clutching in her right arm, to her left and held it tightly against her chest. "Why are you so hung up on something that isn't true?"

"I've been working on getting his attention since I came to this school!" Kikyo screeched. "He was almost mine."

Kagome shrugged. "Well, unfortunately for you, it didn't work." Her inner petty was coming out, but Kagome couldn't help it. "You gotta work smarter, not harder."

"I'm gonna mangle that fucking face of yours!" Kikyo stalked towards her, but Kagome didn't flinch. "He won't want you if I rearranged everything on you!"

"I dare you." The words were cold and vicious, and they didn't belong to Kagome. Everybody's eyes snapped over to the parting in the crowd. Everybody inhaled collectively, but Kagome was the first to speak, her voice not betraying the excitement she felt.

"Inuyasha…"

Standing with a tight expression on his face was her boyfriend, and behind him was an equally pissed off Kouga.


	14. A Not-So-Midnight Rendezvous

It was as if the air was sucked out of the quadrangle. Everybody's eyes snapped and locked onto Inuyasha's stoically calm figure. Kouga _looked_ like he was angrier, but everybody knew that deep down Inuyasha was _livid—_ he had clearly heard enough of what Kikyo said to want to gauge her eyes out.

"I… uh… Inuyasha!" Kikyo chirped, but wasn't fooling anybody.

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at her in response. "I don't recall giving you the permission to address me by my first name, now did I?"

Kikyo paled. Kagome could only shake her head at Inuyasha. He glanced over to her, completely ignoring the girl that was bullying his girlfriend. "It's not worth your time… let's go grab food?" Kagome wasn't used to diffusing such an intense situation. Her past relationship was more calm and mellow—her relationship with Inuyasha was anything _but_. Although he sure as heck tried to keep a calm persona, Kagome was privy to the darkness of his inner hunger.

Inuyasha looked over at Kikyo. "If you threaten my girlfriend ever again and _she_ doesn't rearrange _your_ fucking face… I don't hurt women, but trust me when I say that I _will_ find a way to _end you_."

Kikyo opened and closed her mouth, as if she was a fish out of water. Inuyasha briskly strode past the speechless girl to come toe-to-toe with his girlfriend. He gently caught her chin and studied her eyes, not knowing what he was looking for.

"Hungry?" His voice was hoarse.

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder to his best friend. "Catch up with you?"

"Absolutely." Kouga's eyes never left Kikyo's. "And **you**," Kouga barked as Inuyasha guided Kagome away from the situation. "He may be a better person and not hurt girls, but I do not hold that kind of restraint. I believe in karma… you hurt my people, I hurt you." Not waiting for her to respond, Kouga turned and walked back to the direction in which he came from.

Kikyo was left gaping in their wakes. She wasn't deaf to the sounds of phone shutters clicking; the whole escapade would be all over the forum in a matter of _seconds_.

* * *

Kagome found herself guided to the off-campus coffee shop that she had grown so fond of. The entire walk Inuyasha remained deadly silent; if it weren't for his fingertips pressing gently against the small of her back, she wouldn't have been aware of his presence.

"How was your trip?" She finally managed to squeeze out. Inuyasha inhaled deeply as they waited for the crosswalk light to turn green.

"Eventful. And safe to presume your week was… exciting?" At the final word, Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome.

"Not at all." Kagome shrugged. The light turned green and the couple began walking at a languid enough pace. "Today was the first and only day of excitement, really…" Kagome eyed him playfully. "Excellent timing, _kareshi_."

As intended, Inuyasha's lips tugged into a half smirk. "What can I say? My Kagome-senses were tingling."

"Was it now?"

They arrived at the café and opted for an indoor table. The air was getting chilly with each passing day; an indicator for the upcoming winter season. Inuyasha snagged them a booth and they both sat across from each other, Inuyasha flagging down the waitress in the process.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Inuyasha asked once more just as the waitress arrived. They placed their orders: hot beverages and an assortment of pastries, and Kagome responded to Inuyasha's question.

"I'm fine. I took a hook to the jawbone because of her," absentmindedly, Kagome rubbed the impacted jaw. It no longer hurt, but the memory was still there. At her movement, Inuyasha tensed. "An empty threat is nothing."

"Would your archery hand rearrange her face?" Inuyasha grinned. "You have quite the set of guns on you."

Kagome flexed in jest. "Don't I?"

"Hmmm, front row tickets to the gun show, I see." Inuyasha leaned back in his seat, his arms stretched behind his head. Kagome blushed, stopping her flex immediately and placing her hands on her lap. Inuyasha leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table.

"Please don't feel shy around me, _kanojo_. I enjoy your witty banter."

Kagome bit her lower lip and sagged her shoulders in defeat. "It's kind of hard not to! You're_ you_ and I'm _me_."

Inuyasha's eyebrow twitched. "And what does that mean?"

"I mean… guys like you don't like girls like me."

"So I'm supposed to like somebody like Kikyo?"

Kagome chewed on her lower lip. "No but… yes?"

"Listen, _kanojo_." Inuyasha's voice was hardly audible, but it was riddled with passion and hunger. "I will like whom I like. _Nothing_, and _nobody_ can ever change that. I chose you and until the day comes that you no longer want to be with me, _you are mine_." Kagome's heart was thundering in her chest, her voice caught in her throat. Alas, Inuyasha wasn't done.

"And _if_ that day comes, trust that I will fight for your affection, come hell or high water."

The waitress arriving with their order broke the spell. Kagome's eyes averted from Inuyasha's hypnotizing ones to look at the waitress. It wasn't lost on Kagome that the girl was watching Inuyasha a little too intently, but Inuyasha paid her no heed. His eyes were, instead, trained on her.

"Thank you." Kagome nodded at the waitress who took that as her cue to leave. Kagome placed Inuyasha's coffee in front of him before taking a slow sip of her own. "Um… so is all settled in Okinawa?"

Inuyasha exhaled loudly and picked up his coffee mug. "Yes. No. It's complicated."

"I'm… here to listen, if you ever need anyone." Kagome offered. Smiling, Inuyasha brought his left hand up to catch Kagome's right. Her fingers immediately wrapped around his; it was a subconscious reaction.

"I don't mean to hide anything from you," his thumb drew lazy circles on her skin, leaving a searing sensation. "I just don't want you to get involved in the Takahashi family drama." His eyes shone with an unknown emotion—anger? Rage? Sadness? It tugged at Kagome's heartstrings.

"It's bad enough you have to deal with the whole campus king thing." Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha brought his free hand up to sip his coffee, but he was refusing to relinquish his physical connection with her. Kagome giggled at his quip.

"It really isn't that bad… you know, minus the whole psycho punching me thing."

Inuyasha snorted. "I need to arrange twenty-four-hour security for you."

"With Kouga, Miroku, and Bankotsu? _Doubt_ you have to." Kagome muttered dryly. His grin lit up his face at the mere mention of his friends _protecting_ her. Kagome couldn't help but laugh as she reached to grab a Danish. "_Anyway_," she needed to change the topic. "You're on the soccer team?"

He nodded, finally releasing his hold on her. A whip of emptiness slapped Kagome; she wasn't anticipating such a sensation of loss. That, too, because of the loss of their physical connection.

"Yep," he answered her question. "Practice starts up soon. We train all winter and play during the spring and summer months." Inuyasha chewed on a biscuit. "Does your archery team have competitions?"

Kagome nodded. "Yep. Indoor during winter, outdoor during summer. If I'm lucky, I can compete nationally."

"Oh?" Inuyasha grinned. "Maybe I can fly you around the country like the princess that you are?"

"Pfft!" Kagome snorted. "Even if you _could_, I wouldn't want that."

"What do you mean _even if I could_?" Inuyasha gawked at Kagome. "You… know my family owns a private jet, right?"

"I did not…"

Inuyasha laughed, shaking his head. "You clearly aren't dating me for my riches, now are you?"

"Well I _was_ dating you because you seemed nice and genuine but that was a not-so-nice and not-so-genuine comment." Kagome blew a raspberry at his faux-glare. "I don't care about money. Pretty cool you can buy me my own Boba shop, though."

"I can probably buy you an island, but you want a Boba shop?" Inuyasha shook his head, amused. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

"Other than my striking beauty and witty charm?"

"Yes," his tone was sarcastic, "_other_ than."

Kagome grinned at him over the rim of her cup. He matched her look and rose his eyebrows at her before sipping his own coffee. After the shitty few days he had, he needed to let his guard drop around Kagome.

In fact, he needed her more than she would ever know…

* * *

"You didn't know he was loaded? **Everybody** knows he's loaded!" Ayame gaped at her friend over a mini study session in their dorm room. Kagome, who had her hair piled up into a messy bun, shook her head.

"I had no clue. Like I know he had _money_, but not private-jet-fly-around-the-world kinda rich." Kagome exhaled loudly and looked over at Rin and Sango, both of whom were gawking at her, wide-eyed.

"What?!"

"The man could take you **anywhere**, **anytime**, and you sarcastically wanted a fucking Boba shop?! You don't even _care_ for bubble tea!" Sango pointed an accusatory finger at her best friend to which Kagome murmured under her breath: _at the rate I'm having it, it's growing on me…_

"Well she isn't going to _demand_ anything in seriousness." Rin mused. "That would make her a gold digger, no?"

"Thank you!" Kagome exclaimed, exasperated. "I don't want him to think I've changed because I realize the extent of his riches. Because I haven't changed!"

"Obviously. God, if riches tempted you, you'd still be with Hojo. His family had quite the hefty bank account" Sango muttered, earning her a playful smack on the arm. Throughout their weeks as roommates, Ayame and Rin learned about Kagome's respectably normal ex-boyfriend. Rin was excited for Kagome, seeing as this new relationship was spicing things up in her love life. Ayame was just happy Kagome was happy.

Sango, unsurprisingly, was waiting for bedroom tales.

Kagome reminded her there would be no comparison as she _never slept with Hojo_. Ayame had muttered how that was _probably _a good thing as his dick quite possibly mirrored how normal his life was—just an average schlong.

"Anyway, can we get back to studying?"

Reluctantly, the girls agreed. Just as Kagome got into the first passage in her text, her phone buzzed beside her. With one quick glance, she saw it was Inuyasha and immediately all thoughts of studying were gone with the wind. Sango wiggled her eyebrows at Kagome, but the smitten girl ignored her best friend.

_Ō-sama~__  
Impromptu dinner date?_

_Kagome~  
When?_

_Ō-sama~__  
Now, kanojo._

_Kagome~  
Now? But the dorms are locked!_

_Ō-sama~__  
If my princess wants, she shall receive ;)_

_Kagome~  
Please don't break & enter…_

_Ō-sama~__  
Not at all.  
So, what say you?_

Kagome glanced at her friends. "He wants me to sneak out and have dinner with him."

"And you're _thinking_ about it?" Sango wailed. Kagome bit her lower lip, but her friends were watching her expectantly, Ayame even giving her a thumbs up. Kagome pretended to think but gave up rather quickly, earning a playful shove on her shoulder courtesy of Sango. Unable to contain her giddy, Kagome squealed silently before quickly typing out her response:

_Kagome~  
Ten minutes? On Tetsusaiga?_

_Ō-sama~__  
As my princess wants._

Kagome slammed her phone down and grinned at her friends. "Sexy outfit and a breakout plan."

Rin stood up. "I got sexy outfit!"

Sango mimicked her: "I got sexy breakout plan!"

Three pairs of eyes turned to Ayame who shrugged. "Uhhh… I got sexy hairdo?"

* * *

Kagome crept down the stairs and into the lobby of her dormitory foyer to see that the doors were wide open. She had her helmet clutched tightly under her left arm; she _did_ ask for Inuyasha to bring the motorcycle… she enjoyed it far more than she should. Pausing for a moment, Kagome looked both ways before creeping towards the exit. Her hair was pulled into a tight French braid and her outfit was a comfortable pair of thigh long black overalls and a white bodysuit paired underneath. She had a small backpack on; it was fashionable that housed her keys, wallet, and phone.

When Kagome approached the front door, she spotted Inuyasha leaning against Tetsusaiga and watching her with unadulterated admiration. Without looking back, she broke into a sprint and right into his open arms. Giggling, she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest.

"How did you…?"

"Magic," He winked, kissing her forehead. "Ready? It'll be a late night…"

"Oh?"

He slipped his visor down and mounted his bike, waiting for Kagome to follow. There was no hesitation; she slipped on her helmet and mounted the bike behind her boyfriend. When her arms were wrapped tightly around his midsection, Inuyasha kicked and sped off of campus grounds. Sneaking out of the shadows in their wake were Bankotsu and Miroku, slyly shutting the front doors of the dormitory, as to not rouse any suspicion.

* * *

"Are we going to eat?" Kagome asked through their Bluetooth connection.

"Do you want to? Or can I take you somewhere first?"

"… I'm not hungry yet."

"Good."

Kagome tightened her grip on him and watched the landscape speed by them. She knew they were on the bike for a while, but couldn't be sure as to how long. They were no longer on campus county; the scenic city view changed into something more country. There were more trees and less building, and Kagome loved it.

Inuyasha's handling of the bike was near flawless. He weaved in and out of traffic with ease, cutting lefts and rights when required, but never once making Kagome feel unsafe. If there was anything Kagome learned in the days she was with Inuyasha, it was that her safety was his utmost priority.

"Almost there." Inuyasha's voice filled her helmet, echoing in her mind. Kagome tightened her hold on him for a brief second, indicating that she heard him. She noted that he was slowing his bike down as they entered a forest area. Normally her heart would be pounding in fear, but it was pounding for other reasons. She was getting excited and anxious with the anticipating of finding out where Inuyasha was taking her so close to midnight. As the vegetation thickened, he slowed his bike to a halt and dismounted. He put his helmet on the ground and ushered Kagome to follow before wrapping his fingers through hers.

"I was hoping you could come out tonight…" He revealed as he pushed through some tree branches.

"Oh?"

With one final branch moved out of the way, Kagome was welcomed by a beautiful open glade illuminated by fireflies and the glow of the full moon. Breath caught in her throat, she saw there was a small stream weaving through the opening, a picnic blanket nestled beside it with a basket and a small oil lantern; the only source of light save the fireflies and moonlight. She tightened her hold on his hand.

"Midnight picnic?"

"I wanted to up the ante." He winked, tugging her in the direction of the picnic. "I realized that we don't know too much about each other. We're always surrounded by schoolmates, or friends, or the public. This way… we can find out a little more about each other with no inhibitions."

Kagome beamed at his idea and sat down on the blanket with a flourish. "So, you prepared a picnic in the forest?"

"I can't take _all_ the credit." Inuyasha smirked, sitting across from her, "Bankotsu found this spot first, years ago, and brought Banryu here. I called them earlier and they set the spot up for me to bring you here."

"But you didn't know if I could come out."

His grin spread across his beautiful features. "No, but I was hoping you could." He poured two flutes of champagne that he pulled out of the basket. Kagome accepted the outstretched flute and clinked it against his, both taking a sip to an unspoken toast.

"Tell me about Kagome." Inuyasha leaned back, one leg stretched out in front of him while the other was propped up. He had his left arm resting on top of his propped-up leg with the other swirling the champagne. "What makes her… _tick_?"

Kagome laughed, rolling her eyes. She took another sip of her champagne before moving to withdraw the snacks that were packed. She noted there was a large flask tucked in there, possibly coffee, some packets of Pocky, a couple of sandwiches, and a few juice boxes. Kagome opted to take the Pocky.

"Kagome enjoys Pocky." Kagome winked and Inuyasha nodded with false somberness.

"Duly noted."

She offered him a stick which he gladly took. "That's a very generic question, _kareshi_. Do you have anything specific?"

Inuyasha shook his head, downing the remainder of his drink. "Not at all. Tell me… other than the birthday, star sign, favourite colour, and lucky number schtick because we all know how _that_ conversation went."

Kagome grinned remember their playful textual interlude. It felt like eons ago, but in actuality, it was nothing but a few short weeks. Her relationship with Inuyasha Takahashi was something akin to a whirlwind; everyday was something new, but she embraced it.

The fireflies danced close to the couple, enhancing their already minimalistic glow. Inuyasha watched how the light danced off of Kagome's features, accentuating everything that he already deemed _perfect_. He poured more champagne into his flute and sipped, watching Kagome pull out another stick of Pocky. That very moment was something Inuyasha committed to memory, etching it onto the very essence of his soul.

"Fine… how about you tell me about your family." Inuyasha finally relented. Kagome smiled at him, a gesture so innocent it made his heart thunder.

"You already know my father passed away. He was a respected historian, a nod to my current career choice." Kagome sipped her champagne. "My mom used to be a stay-at-home mother, but she works as an office lady to help pay bills now. My grandfather runs the Higurashi Shrine and I have a younger brother in high school—so he's more of a liability than an asset."

Inuyasha snickered. "Do you get along with your brother?"

"We're super close." Kagome giggled. "He once, accidentally, pushed me into our shrine's call to fame, the Bone-Eater's Well. I broke my ankle and he cried about it for _weeks_." Kagome playfully leaned forward. "_Weeeeeeks_." She enunciated the length of time. Inuyasha snickered, playing into her excitement.

"Was he afraid you'd travel back in time or something?"

"I've seen stranger things," Kagome winked. "Like how this billionaire elusive student wants to date a little old historian… this is actually like a super cheesy romantic novel."

Inuyasha put his flute down and swatted away a particularly annoying firefly. "First, I'm not a _billionaire_. My _family _is rich and I just get to enjoy the _perks_ of being related to money. Second, I'm not elusive. And third, you aren't little _or_ old… I bet you could've thrown that wannabe-Kagome out the damn library building." The more he said his sentence, the quieter his voice got. Kagome's eyebrow shot up in pure amusement.

"Wannabe-Kagome?"

"Yeah, sure." Inuyasha grabbed a sandwich. "You're dating me, she wants to date me… therefore she wants to be you."

"I don't think that's how that works."

Inuyasha shrugged half-heartedly. "I, in fact, don't actually _care_ how it works. She tried to lay a hand on my girlfriend—hell, she _did_ lay a hand on you."

"That's her karma, not mine." Kagome muttered. "She'll have what's coming to her, none of us need to get involved. But back to the reason for our little outing—you tell me about _your_ family."

Inuyasha had a flash of pain reflect in his eyes that Kagome couldn't miss. Just as quickly as it came though, it was gone. "Not much to say… my mom passed away when I was younger. I have a half older brother, Sesshomaru and my father passed away not too long ago… that's um…" Kagome never heard him hesitate before. Whatever he was saying must be difficult to get out.

"That's why I had to leave for a bi; to wrap up the estate proceedings. Anyway," he cleared his throat, "I'm going house hunting this weekend. Would you care to join me?"

Kagome froze. "House hunting?"

"Yep," Inuyasha didn't catch her reaction. He rambled away, he needed to change the topic from his family to something else. "After graduation I can't very well stay on campus. But I do want to become a _very_ successful architect and to do that, I have to stay local. Kouga and I are going to start a company right out of school and we're, unfortunately, going to move in together." He sounded bitter about the last part. "I mean, he's _okay_ as a person but he has sweaty feet and snores like a _bitch_."

Kagome stopped listening after he said he couldn't stay on campus any longer. _Of course,_ Kagome thought trying to mask her emotion. _He's going to graduate. He can't stay here for the four years I'll be here… what's going to happen to us?_

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, his voice reflecting concern.

Kagome snapped out of it. "Sorry! Sorry… my mind went elsewhere. Yes," she replied to his question. "I'd love to come house hunting." _Stop thinking about it now, Kagome. Enjoy the moment._

Inuyasha grinned before pushing himself up and gently moving the picnic basket away. Kagome's eyes locked with his and she inhaled sharply, unable to release the air from her lungs. She watched as he crawled towards her, on all fours, with his eyes getting darker as he drew nearer.

"Will you tell me something?" His voice was hoarse. Kagome was frozen in place, unable to speak, so she opted to nod instead.

"Tell me I can kiss you senseless. Right here. Right now." He finally approached her, his fingers already curling around the back of her neck. "Tell me, _girlfriend_, and I will make you forget your name."

Kagome lost all focus. She didn't even realize when she whispered: _you can_. One second he was hovering above her, and the next his lips were dominating hers, her back against the picnic blanket with Inuyasha's body above hers. His left arm was propping himself up while his right caressed her cheek, trailing his fingers down to her neck where he stroked her collarbone. His right knee nudged her legs open and he rested his leg in between hers, wanting to feel a closeness to her that he knew he wasn't given the privilege to, yet.

Kagome's hands were wrapped around his neck, her fingers stroking the back column while simultaneously playing with free locks of his hair. Inuyasha tore his lips away from hers and pressed them against her neck, gently kissing and licking from one side to the other. Kagome's head move in sync with his movement, her neck tilting away from where his lips were to give him more access. He nibbled on her earlobe and ran his tongue along the outside shell of her ear.

"Inuyasha…" She breathed. His tongue ran along her bottom lip just before he, gently, pressed his lips against hers once again.

"Kagome…?" He said her name like a question while their lips were still working, gently pecking each other but not fully in the throes of passion. It was a moment of pause before they resumed their intimacy.

"Hmmm?"

"Will you tell me one more thing?" He pecked her once, then twice, then moved to press a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"What?" Her voice cracked, a sound that drove Inuyasha absolutely insane.

"Tell me that my name is the only one you'll ever moan…"

Kagome's eyes snapped open and she looked over to catch his. He was looking right at her, his lips hovering just above hers, but his eyes reflecting a different emotion. A new one; one she had never seen in his eyes before… _pain_.

"Tell me… that as long as you're mine, I'll be only yours…"

"That isn't something I have to say," Kagome whispered, bringing her hand over to cup his cheek, her finger stroking his jaw. "You have my heart, Inuyasha… there's no room for anybody else."

The look of relief filled her soul, but a doubt nagged her. _Is he worried I might cheat? Or could this have something to do with the ex that shattered his heart..._

Her thoughts were immediately stopped when she felt him nuzzle her neck. "Good." His tone held a note of finality. Inuyasha resumed his ministrations and Kagome found herself, once again, in a world full of absolute pleasure, and everything _Inuyasha_...


	15. The Nickname Roster

"Thanks for the care package."

Kagome was lounging in the student quad while she spoke to her mother on the phone. Over the last few weeks they exchanged more emails than they spoke; something Kagome was desperate to rectify. Their schedules were opposite of one another, so communicating electronically was the only way that made sense.

"How do I know if you're eating properly or sleeping properly or—"

"Mama, I'm fine. But thank you." Kagome smiled. She was sitting with her back against a thick tree trunk, her eyes scanning the field for any familiar faces. Thus far she had yet to see any of her friends, both from her side or Inuyasha's. Speaking of her boyfriend… Kagome so desperately wanted to tell her mother that she had one, but she knew if she did Kaori would not take it too well. Kagome left home for school and not even a semester had passed and she was already dating somebody.

Kaori would question her about her real intentions of living away from home—that conversation was best saved to have in-person.

"When are you coming to visit?"

"Christmas holiday." Kagome replied. "It doesn't make sense to take a two-night trip to Osaka… it's actually more of a tease than anything. I want to be able to spend time with you, Jii-chan, Souta, and my friends."

"I know what you mean." Kaori said, sadly. "I miss you, sweetheart."

"I miss you too, mama. Before you know it, I'll be home and we can do our annual Higurashi Christmas traditions!" Her mother's laughter filled her heart and Kagome couldn't help but laugh herself. "Please take care of yourself, mama. I know with Souta and Jii-chan… and _work_… you're stressing yourself thin."

"Don't use my lines against me, missy!"

Kagome grinned, both because of her mother's playful words and because her boyfriend spotted her just as he entered the quad. "What can I say, I learned from the best… anyway, my friends are here, I'll email you later?"

"Sounds good. Love you!"

"Love you too." Kagome hung up in time to stand up and wrap her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders.

"Who do you love?" He smirked, his voice lilting playfully. Kagome couldn't help but roll her eyes. His hands were wrapped tightly around her waist and he pulled her closer into his body when he spoke.

"My mom." Kagome smiled.

"Acceptable response." Swiftly, he placed a kiss on her nose before resting his forehead against hers. "What're you doing out here, all by your lonesome?"

"Trying to seduce the next best thing. Move, you're cramping my style."

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow, but did as she demanded. Kagome's jaw dropped when she saw him take a step back and cross his arms. "Alright, seduce away… I'd like to be present to see who even _tries_ to come and talk to my girlfriend."

"_They _may fear you, but I think you're a little puppy." Kagome closed the gap and gently pat his head, laughing at his incredulous expression. Ever since their midnight picnic, their relationship felt a lot smoother and closer, as if it evolved in to something more intimate. Kagome loved spending every moment with him, and she especially loved that every moment felt like that _first_ one.

"_Just_ because my name is _Inu_yasha." He stressed the _inu_ part, as it did translate to _dog_.

Kagome smiled broadly. "Well, it isn't _Ko_inuyasha." She paused before grinning, as if a lightbulb went over her head. "I like that! _Koinu_yasha… _Puppy_yasha!"

"Please don't." He rolled his eyes. "I don't want to add another ridiculous nickname to my already hefty roster."

Kagome interlaced her fingers through his and tugged him towards the exit of the quad and in the direction of the cafeteria. He allowed himself to be dragged around, enjoying that his girlfriend felt so empowered and in control. "Do I want to know what's in your nickname roster?"

"You know a handful." Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to stare a second too long at Naraku. The archery captain caught his look and raised an eyebrow. His gaze flickered to Kagome before returning to meet Inuyasha's eyes and, as to rile up the campus jock, Naraku licked his lower lip.

Kagome was oblivious to everything that happened, continuing her beeline to the cafeteria. "I know about _ō-sama_… and maybe _king_, but that's it?"

Inuyasha yanked Kagome's arm, gently, so that she was walking in tandem with him and not half a step ahead. "_Kanojo_, quit rushing. The food'll still be there," he watched as Kagome's cheeks turned red when he brought her hand up to kiss the back of it. "Stop and smell the roses."

"Add _loser_ to your roster." Kagome muttered and Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh. He gently squeezed her hand in affection before directing the conversation back to the topic of his stupid nicknames. It was his indirect method to get his mind off of Naraku's idiocy just seconds prior.

"I have _ō-sama_, _king_, _his royal highness_, _jock_, _king-san_, _Sesshy-junior_, and my new favourite, _kanojo_." He winked when he saw Kagome grin up at him. "And maybe add _loser_, now."

Kagome couldn't help but zone in on one particular nickname: "Sesshy-junior?"

Inuyasha scowled. "I don't _like_ it, but my brother and I have held royal titles since we've both been at this school… some say I'm his prodigy but I'd like to think that my rugged good looks and cunning charm is what dethroned him."

"You're so cocky, I never would've guessed…" Kagome stopped walking to gawk at Inuyasha who frowned in return. Somebody yelled out '_HEY'_ and walked around the couple, but besides that nobody seemed to take notice. Well, nobody but the handful of girls who were snapping pictures as if their lives depended on it.

"Never would've guessed what?"

"That you're such a _Koinu_yasha!" Reaching up, she pinched his cheeks _hard_ before sprinting off. It took Inuyasha three heartbeats to recover before snapping his head in the direction of where his girlfriend ran.

_This girl…_ he couldn't help but smile as he began jogging – _lightly _– towards where she sped off. He was one of the top players on the soccer team; while Kagome had superior upper body strength due to her archery skill, Inuyasha was far superior in speed and stamina. He knew he'd catch up to her in a matter of seconds, but he wanted her to feel like she was winning.

Inuyasha couldn't help but beam when he saw her playfully dodge students on her sprint to the cafeteria. Kagome, on the other hand, didn't want to stop to even glance over her shoulder. She wasn't stupid; she knew he was letting her win but she wasn't going to test her luck. Kagome continued to run, but she didn't exactly know to _where_. Her feet guided her to the cafeteria as that was where she was initially headed when she dragged Inuyasha out of the quad.

_I need to throw a curveball at him! _Without thinking, Kagome feinted right before taking a left just at the entrance of the cafeteria towards a wing she hadn't explored yet. _Oh well_, she thought as she pushed past a set of iron closed doors, _I'm sure I can navigate this place even though I've never been here._

She heard him call out her name but didn't pause to look—_I'm winning! _And, honestly, that was all that mattered for Kagome.

**"Kagome!"**

Kagome looked over her shoulder to see Inuyasha coming in closer. The look in his eyes, however, was what ultimately made her stop. She slowed to a halt and completely turned around in time for Inuyasha to approach her and wrap an arm around her waist, yanking her against his body.

"This wing is under construction…" he whispered as he turned her body around to see that she was headed straight for a construction zone with a relatively large hole not too far from where she stopped. Kagome's jaw went slack wondering how on earth she didn't notice the hole to begin with. That would've been a _very_ bad accident and Kagome, who prided herself in having a high pain tolerance, would've likely broken her ankle... and _that_ was the type of pain she had zero tolerance for.

"I win on a count of a technicality." Kagome mumbled while her eyes scanned the construction zone. She was aware, very acutely, of the subtle way Inuyasha's thumb caressed her where he held her.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Inuyasha snickered. "You work up an appetite there, speed-demon?"

Kagome looked away from the hole to smile at her boyfriend. "Absolutely—and you can add _that_ to _my_ roster."

Not knowing what else to do with himself —especially with Kagome's bright eyes shining up at him—, Inuyasha leaned forward and captured her lips. Kagome exhaled through her nose but snaked her arms up to wrap around his neck, her fingers playing with the length of his braid. His arms encircled her waist, pulled her flush and up against him, her toes dangling beneath her. Inuyasha nipped at her lip and allowed himself to explore her taste when she opened just a bit wider.

Everything around them faded. Kagome was attuned to the thudding of her heart and felt, in her soul, Inuyasha synchronize with her. Everything she felt, everything that happened, was so natural and unlike anything she ever felt before. Her heart and soul opened up every second she spent with him, and her _right-now_ was beginning to morph into something akin to _eternity_. And while the anticipation of forever should scare her, it didn't. Kagome wasn't going to ponder the longevity of their relationship, it wasn't her place to question destiny, but Kagome most definitely was going to live in the moment and hope for the best.

_Because that's all I can do…_

A throaty sound escaped her when Inuyasha put her down and sank his teeth into the junction of her neck.

_Oh, my god…_

* * *

Sango eyed Kagome warily as the two friends walked towards a local park for some relaxing twilight yoga. It was something they did when they lived in Osaka and with all of the changes that happened in their lives since coming to Shuto, it wasn't something they practiced in a while. Kagome had suggested it when she broke into their dorm and Sango was all too willing... that was until she spotted the little love bite that had magically appeared on Kagome's neck. After that it was game over for Kagome as Sango's inane pestering began.

"You have a freakin' hickey, Kagome." Sango sounded as deadpanned as she looked.

Kagome couldn't help but smile victoriously at Sango all while she subconsciously brought her hand up to gently trace the hickey. Inuyash aand Kagome were both so caught up in their making out that they didn't realize the extent of their passion. _Not_ that Kagome was complaining about the hickey... it was more of the fact that she had to spend time hiding it when, really, she didn't want to. The fact that he was so consumed by her that he lost track of his senses did something to Kagome, and she wanted to relish that feeling for as long as possible.

"There's literally nothing I can do about it." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Also, so what?! I have an affectionate boyfriend and—"

"I don't!" Sango wailed. "And I love you and I'm happy for you, but _goddamned_ do I want to make out with a sexy specimen in an abandoned corridor in school. You literally get _everything_." If there wasn't a playfully sarcastic string in Sango's tone, Kagome would've assumed that her best friend was actually unimpressed.

"You had that super affluent guy's son try to hit on you… what was his name?"

Sango sucker punched her friend. "Lord Runny Nose!"

"Ahhh, yes, Kuranosuke Takeda!"

"Kagome, stop!"

Kagome giggled and cleared her throat to mimic a deeper tone: "_It was a magnificent sight! You shined like a single white lily in the bloody battlefield. You were so awe inspiring!_"

Sango groaned as Kagome threw her head back in laughter. "Stop… he was impressed with my Call of Duty skills… I was embarrassed _for_ him" Sango chewed on her lower lip. "I don't think Kohaku and Souta have ever laughed _that_ hard in their lives." Sango grabbed Kagome's upper arm and yanked her left at a fork in the road. Kagome was obviously oblivious to their surroundings so Sango had to take charge.

"I think I should introduce you and the girls to Inuyasha's friends… maybe one of them will catch your eye?"

They crossed the threshold of the park and were relieved to see a minimal number of people. "You can play matchmaker later. Right now we have a yoga routine to do!"

"You're dodging the situation, friend."

Sango flipped Kagome off which caused the latter girl to laugh harder than she wanted to. Deciding to finally drop it, Kagome and Sango unrolled their yoga mats and laid them in tandem. Kagome slipped out of her sweater and tossed it to the side while Sango tied hers around her waist. Both girls looked at each other and nodded once before inhaling deeply, melting into a routine that was second nature to them.

* * *

Both girls sat cross legged on their mat watching the last seconds of the sun setting over the concrete jungle skyline. Kagome, at some point during their routine, pulled her phone out of her bag and rested it at the top left corner of her yoga mat. Sango rolled her eyes while she was mid warrior pose but said nothing as she didn't want to break her concentration in breathing.

"Meditating makes you realize how significantly insignificant you are." Sango murmured. Kagome didn't look at her, but nodded slowly in acknowledgement; Sango always had epiphanies during meditation. "It's as if…" Sango exhaled slowly, "None of your worries matter _that _much, yet your opportunities are limitless."

"Yeah," Kagome whispered, trying to keep her voice steady, "like meeting Inuyasha's friends."

"Yeah—_wait, what?!_" Sango whipped her head over to glare at Kagome, her zen breaking. "Why are you even _you_?!"

Kagome stuck her tongue out. "I can't help it; being me is so amazing!"

Sango rolled her eyes so hard Kagome could practically hear it. Giggling, she returned her hands to her knees and straightened her back, resuming her meditating pose. While Sango closed her eyes and practiced deep inhalations, Kagome loved watching the horizon, be it concrete jungle or otherwise. It brought her peace, knowing that she was part of something bigger. Halfway through an inhalation cycle, Kagome's phone buzzed. Sango twitched, slightly, to show that she heard the buzzing but did nothing to react.

_Three guesses on who it is… mom, Souta, or Inuyasha._

Kagome stretched forward and picked up her phone. She had a goofy grin on her face that immediately dropped when she saw _who_ exactly texted her…

"Sango…"

Her best friend grunted in response.

"Sango!" Kagome repeated more urgently.

"What?! I'm meditating here—"

"Hojo texted me."

"WHAT?!" Sango was beside Kagome, on her mat, in a heartbeat. She crowded Kagome to peer at the text message that was lit on her cellphone screen.

_Hojo~  
Kagome, hey! How are you? Surprise! I'm transferring to Shuto… maybe we can pick up where we left off?_

Kagome gawked at her phone while she read the message five times. Finally, she looked up to see Sango staring at her with the same expression. They both looked back at the phone before looking back up at each other.

"He's coming here…?" Sango squeaked.

"And he wants to… pick up where we left off?"

At that precise moment, her phone buzzed again but it wasn't Hojo.

_Inuyasha~  
Hey kanojo :) Done meditating? I have a surprise for you… call me when you're back on campus._

Kagome and Sango both scanned the message Inuyasha sent. Sango fell down on her butt, not caring that the twilight dew was dampening her ass. Her knees were no longer capable of keeping her upright, especially not after the last two minutes.

"This is insane." Kagome whistled low.

"But a no-brainer." Sango shrugged.

Kagome nodded while she flipped between the two texts. Her world imploded around her, not because she had _any_ intention of getting back with Hojo—because she didn't, but mostly because she had to now coordinate a tango around Hojo because he would be absolutely devastated that she moved on. Their breakup was amicable and he was a great guy, but he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Was Kagome intending on hiding it from Hojo? No, absolutely not… but she had to find a kind way of letting the kid down.

_And why is he transferring to Shuto?!_

* * *

Kagome and Sango were waiting along the sidewalk beside the park for Inuyasha. When Kagome texted him to let him know that they were headed back to campus, he told her to hang back and wait for him for a few minutes as he'd be around with his car. Sango was super excited as she had yet to formally meet the revered _king._ But there she was, about to get in a car with him!

"How do I look?!"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Sweaty and yoga'd out."

"So I look like I have purpose in life and that I'm physically active. Perf!"

"Nothing I say will ever faze you, will it?"

"Absolutely not." Sango winked. Kagome gently bumped her with her hip before spotting Inuyasha's car cutting a left onto the street. Grinning, Kagome used her chin to usher at the car and Sango turned around with light speed.

She groaned, loudly. "My best friend's boyfriend is beyond amazing. I'm so happy. Give me babies."

"Will you _stop_?"

"Never!" Sango said with more enthusiasm than needed. Kagome shook her head in both amusement and embarrassment for her friend.

Inuyasha pulled his car up beside the girls and they began to gently climb in. Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was on his cellphone so she twisted her body to look back at Sango and pressed a finger to her lips. Sango nodded as she reached over to grab Kagome's yoga mat, she was going to bundle hers and Kagome's together in the backseat so Kagome had more legroom on her spot in the passenger side.

"Absolutely not." Inuyasha barked in to the phone. Kagome glanced back at Sango who shrugged.

"Just tell him to deposit it in to my account. I don't need anybody else to see what my share is…"

_This has to do with his dad's estate._ Kagome thought.

"No _way_ is your mom going to see the statement, you idiot."

_It's probably his brother he's speaking to._

Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome and smiled warmly before glancing over his shoulder and winking at Sango. Sango, meekly, waved at him and he turned back around to stare out of his windshield, his hand resting on Kagome's knee.

"We'll finish this conversation later. I'm picking up my girlfriend and her friend right now."

Inuyasha pulled his phone away from his ear and hung up before leaning over and kissing Kagome's cheek. "Hey, you."

"Hi." _No matter how much time I spend with him, I still blush like that first day I ran in to his motorcycle!_

Inuyasha looked over at Sango. "Hi, we haven't formally met, have we?"

"Nope." Kagome was surprised Sango kept her voice so calm, cool, and collected. "Watanabe Sango, but you can call me Sango."

"Pleasure," Inuyasha nodded, "and please, call me Inuyasha. If I hear one more person calling me _king_…"

Kagome giggled and smirked playfully at her best friend. "King-san here is embarrassed with his true identity."

"Don't worry; I'll help King-san get over his embarrassment." Sango beamed at Inuyasha who could only shake his head in amusement, his lip twitching into a small smile.

"I should've known you're like Kagome."

Sango leaned forward and pulled her head up between Kagome and Inuyasha's seats. He shifted his gear into drive and slowly began pulling up off of the curbside. "We grew up together. The truth of the matter is _she_ is more like _me_."

"Don't believe her." Kagome muttered. "Sango here is having a dry spell and she doesn't make sense when she talks."

"Hey! I'm **not** having a dry—ok, well I am, but you don't have to tell everybody." Sango sat back, faux-pouting. If there was anything that Sango Watanabe wasn't, it was shy. How else would she be able to openly tell her best friend's boyfriend that she hadn't had hanky panky in quite some time. In fact, how else would she be okay with Kagome making fun of the fact that she _was_ having a dry spell? There was also decades of history of Kagome and Sango making fun of each other in embarrassing fashions throughout the years so, ultimately, unless the other was crossing the line both girls were typically okay with any playful insults hurled their way. In public or otherwise.

Inuyasha threw an amused grin over in Kagome's direction. "Well one thing is for sure, she's hell of a lot harder to make blush," he grinned over his shoulder at Sango, "aren't you?"

"Oh Kagome blushes over everything." Sango giggled as she leaned

"I do not!"

Sango poked her cheek. "You're blushing now."

"Oh, I hate you all." Kagome crossed her arms and playfully looked away from them, feigning anger. Inuyasha held out his fist which Sango promptly bumped, both laughing heartily.

Sango smiled at Inuyasha. "I like you. You're not _just_ a sexy pretentious douchebag."

"Sexy and pretentious, sure, but definitely not a douchebag." Inuyasha winked with jest. Sango snorted before leaning back in her seat, feeling happier than she had in a while. She didn't want to reveal that fact she was nervous about whether she was going to get along with Inuyasha or not… but she _was_ anxious and was extremely happy that the rumours of him being a nice guy wasn't just rumours.

_Besides, if he was a jerk, Kagome would never have started dating him to begin with._ Sango thought. _Kagome always had a good judge of character._

"Are you done with your fake pouting there, Higurashi?" Sango called out.

"Yeah, pouting hurts the face." Kagome twisted her body so that she was fully facing Inuyasha with her legs tucked beneath her. She had to yank her belt to loosen it slightly, but eventually she hit a comfortable spot.

"Takes less muscles to smile than to frown, _kanojo_." Inuyasha said, knowingly.

"I feel like that's the first thing we learned in biology class." Kagome muttered to which Sango had to nod in agreement.

"I'll drop you off to your dorm, Sango?" Inuyasha looked at her through his rearview mirror. "I have a surprise for my girlfriend and I'd like to keep her out for just a bit longer."

Sango gave him a thumbs up. "You have my blessing, _King-san."_

He deadpanned. "I suddenly don't like you anymore."

"That's fine; Kagome'll make you like me." She winked. Inuyasha chuckled low as he adjusted his grip on his steering wheel.

_Kagome is capable of a lot more than just making me like people…_ Inuyasha idly glanced over at his girlfriend who was talking to Sango about trivial matters. _She has no idea the power she has over me yet…_


	16. A Sign for the Queen

"You don't have to keep giving me surprises." Kagome mumbled, her shyness coming in full force immediately after Sango left the car. There was something about Inuyasha's aura that made Kagome feel so incredibly conscious, but in a good way. He had a strange way of making her feel like she was the only woman in the world without trying, and that was a feeling Kagome had never experienced before.

_Not even with Hojo._

"I know I don't have to." He said while checking his blind spot. "But I want to."

Kagome flashed him a quick smile before diverting her attention to her phone. "Have you checked the forums lately?" She asked, glancing up in time to see him shake his head _no_. Kagome continued speaking: "Your little stint with Kikyo is all over it… and let me tell you, they aren't saying nice things about her."

"She was acting like entitled." Inuyasha shrugged. "I had to knock her down a few pegs."

"So long as it's metaphorical knocking." Kagome said sharply. "No acts of violence, please."

Inuyasha's eyes flickered over to her before he cast his gaze back on the road ahead of him. "Kagome, she punched you."

"And? I'm alive, aren't I? Unless I ask you, please don't get involved…" Kagome's voice dropped as she spoke, suddenly feeling unsure of her statement. _What if he takes it the wrong way?_ Kagome felt a knot tighten in the core of her stomach, _no way, our relationship can't be **that **weak._

Inuyasha reached over and covered her hand. She was unaware that she was clenching and unclenching her fist subconsciously. "I know you can take care of yourself," he said, his voice tender. "And unless you ask me to, I won't get involved…_ but_ I can't speak for my friends."

Kagome flipped her hand around so she could interlace her finger's through his. "I'll handle them."

"No doubt in my mind you will."

Kagome said nothing after Inuyasha's final statement, finding comfort in the silence between them. She looked out of the window and was a little surprised to see that she recognized the scenery that passed by them. She craned her neck to study a particularly familiar landmark before looking over at her boyfriend with a grin. "Are we gong to that forest place again?"

"Good eye," Inuyasha winked at her. "We are, but that's not the surprise."

Kagome deadpanned. "… I don't like surprises. You _know_ that; girl that reads the end of stories first, remember?!"

"Unfortunately, I'm not ruining it." Inuyasha squeezed her hand gently before releasing his hold on her to grab his steering wheel. "And _you_ know that I _don't_ like spoilers." He winked at her.

Kagome playfully groaned and laughed when Inuyasha fake punched her cheek. The air between them was natural yet electric, everything feeling like a surreal dream regardless of how mundane and normal it was. Kagome oftentimes found herself wondering, _is this what a perfect relationship supposed to feel like?_

As expected, Inuyasha pulled up just outside of the forest. He turned his car off and pulled the handbrake before smirking at his girlfriend. "Is my lady ready for her surprise?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yes and no. Honestly, I'm beginning to feel terrible; I've gotten you nothing but here you are, surprising me all the time." With her eyes downcast, Kagome began chewing on her lower lip, thinking of what she could possibly do to surprise Inuyasha. Though she _knew_ him, she didn't actually _know_ him. There was so much about him that remained a mystery to her—_and the more I learn, the more my heart beats for him_. Kagome once thought she loved Hojo, but the intensity of what she felt for Inuyasha in the short time that they were together far surpassed anything she ever felt for her ex.

Inuyasha used his bent index finger to lift Kagome's face. Their eyes locked and he took the moment to steal a kiss from her. "Kagome, just being with you is a gift. I want nothing more… now, let's go? I have to get you home before your dorm locks down for the night."

"So, no midnight picnic?"

"Oh, I can't surprise you with the same trick twice… that's not creative at all." Inuyasha pushed some branches away and stepped aside so Kagome could enter the glade first. No picnic blanket was present, but there was a very long box wrapped up neatly sitting beside the small stream.

Kagome looked over her shoulder to Inuyasha. "What is that?"

"Your surprise." He held his hand out. "Come, _kanojo_."

There wasn't any hesitation on Kagome's part when she interlaced her fingers through Inuyasha's. Kagome maintained just half a step behind him just so she could study his profile; the strong set in his jaw, the beautiful cheek structure, and his surreal eyes. Kagome bit her lower lip when she saw that his eyebrows were black. _How come I never noticed his eyebrows are a different colour from his hair?_ Who was she kidding… being in his presence, his _eyebrows_ were the least of her freaking worries.

"Watch your step," Inuyasha stopped when he brought her just to the edge of the stream. With one long stride, he crossed it before extending his hand out to his girlfriend. Kagome smiled at him as she moved to take a large step over the stream; the last time, they didn't cross the stream as the picnic basket was on the side closer to them. Somehow, going further away from the foot of the glade made the moment feel more intimate.

Kagome stretched to grab Inuyasha's hand but immediately lost her balance. Her eyes widened and Inuyasha inhaled sharply.

_"Shit…"_

"Kagome!"

With lightning speed, Inuyasha jerked forward and wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist, yanking her up from inevitable doom. Kagome was panting, her heart racing from the anticipating of going face first into a stream; she had yet to notice that she was wrapped tightly in Inuyasha's arms, her cheek pressed against his chest.

"A little clumsy, aren't you, _kanojo_?"

Kagome smiled shakily, releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding. "Not usually, _kareshi_."

She felt him press his lips against the top of her head before pulling her away from his embrace. It was instantaneous when she felt the loss of his warm and a hollowness in her soul. _What… is this feeling?_ Kagome allowed herself to be pulled towards the wrapped present just a few feet away from them. She tried not to dwell on the feeling for _too _long… there were a plethora of emotions she felt when she was with Inuyasha, and Kagome had to stop trying to decipher what all of the meant.

"Open it." Inuyasha whispered, his voice barely audible with a husky undertone. Kagome looked at him and held her gaze for a few seconds before kneeling in front of the package, gently tearing the careful wrapping. Inuyasha stood directly behind her, his arms crossed over his chest and watched. With consideration, Kagome folded the wrapping and sat back on her heels to stare at the onyx coloured wooden box.

"What is it?" Kagome whispered as she ran her fingers over an engraved insignia…

One that she was _very_ familiar with.

_Sengoku Archery_… the creators of the greatest contest bows in all of Asia.

"Open it." He croaked, the tone of his voice remaining unchanged.

Kagome leaned forward and grabbed both sides of the box and slid the lid off. Inuyasha reached down and took the lid from her as she studied, with jaw dropped, the beauty before her: a magnificently crafted bow and quiver set.

From the _Viper_ line.

_An unreleased line_.

Hesitating for just a second, Kagome reached forward and ran her fingers along the bow, plucking the string when her thumb came in contact with it. Viper fangs were engraved just at the tip of the bow; the only indication that it was a _Sengoku Archery_ bow. Looking over her shoulder, and trying to contain her tears, Kagome stared at Inuyasha with awe.

"How did… why did…"

Inuyasha fell to his knees and cupped her face, using his thumbs to brush loose tears away. "I have a family member who is ranked high enough in Sengoku Archery… she owed me a favour, so I called it in…"

Kagome brought her hands up to clutch the front of his jacket. "But…"

Her words were cut off when Inuyasha leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "I want to give you the universe, Kagome… but that's impossible, so I want to give you everything else." He brought his lips forward to kiss the tip of her nose before pressing his forehead against hers once more. "I _really_ like you…" His voice caught towards the end, but he did not break eye contact with her. "_A lot_."

Kagome smiled, a few more tears escaping her eyes. Inuyasha was quick to brush them away, rubbing is thumb a few more time under her eyes in a gentle caress. "Sometimes…" Kagome whispered, her grip tightening on him, "sometimes I wonder if I'm dreaming."

"Hmm?"

"I like you so much too," she whispered, "more than I ever thought I could like anybody… but I always think, I _must_ be dreaming… why would somebody who is so… _handsome _and _popular,_ that could have any girl in the school, want me?"

"It isn't a dream," Inuyasha whispered, his left hand slowly travelling to the back of her neck. "You're _mine_… and I don't intend on letting you go."

"Good."

With a gentle pull, Inuyasha had her lips pressed against his, both inhaling deeply at the contact. Her hands released their hold on his jacket and moved up to encircle his shoulders, her fingers playing with the length of his hair as their lips worked in unison. Inuyasha brought his other hand – the one that was still cupping her cheek – to wrap around her waist and gently push her down to a lying position. Their lips remained in contact the entire time, neither willing to break their connection.

Kagome grabbed his shoulder and arched her back when he tore his lips away from hers to settle on the column of her neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she let out a guttural moan when she felt his teeth sink down sinfully on the junction of her shoulder and neck, exactly the same spot he bit before. She was barely aware of his ministrations; a heat coursing through her body caused her to lose all grip on reality.

All Kagome felt was her heart racing, her insides heating, and Inuyasha's lips on her shoulder…

Her neck…

Her lips…

"_Inuyasha…_"

* * *

Miroku grinned stupidly at Kagome as he watched her leave her dormitory with a turtleneck and knee-length black skirt. He pushed himself off of the tree he found himself lounging against to meet his friend halfway… "Cold?"

Kagome eyed him warily. "Shut up, _Hogo-sha._" It was the only top she had that was capable of hiding the impressive hickey Inuyasha left on her neck from the previous night. She had no doubt that Miroku knew _exactly _why she was wearing a turtleneck. _Jerk_.

Chuckling, he held his arm out to Kagome and she, naturally, linked her arm through his. It was their _usual_ way of walking to the history building. If normalcy served true, in about three…

Two…_._

One…

"MOVE IT, LOVEBIRDS!"

Kagome and Miroku stepped apart to let Banryu and Kouga jog past them. Kagome, instinctively, held her arms out so Kouga could catch her in a hug and twirl her around twice before setting her down and resuming his jog.

It was something she experienced most mornings, to the point where if Miroku cancelled on her for whatever reason, her day felt _wrong_.

"Say, Miroku…"

Miroku glanced down at her with a quirked eyebrow. "What's up?"

"What does Inuyasha like?"

Miroku wasn't anticipating that kind of question. Taken aback, he asked her what she meant. Kagome cleared her throat and looked away from Miroku, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. How _else_ should one feel when they asked their boyfriend's best friend what their boyfriend liked? It was embarrassing!

"Inuyasha…" Kagome repeated. "What does he like? Like… if I were to give him a gift, what do you think he'd want?"

Miroku smiled, knowingly. "Kagome, Inuyasha is a giver. He likes giving gifts, especially to those he cares most about. He doesn't want anything in return."

"I know, but…"

"But he does have an affinity for swords." Miroku winked and Kagome froze, snapping her gaze up at him.

"Sorry?"

Miroku nodded and tugged at Kagome, indicating to her that they should keep walking. "Yeah, swords. He loves them… it's what he named his motorcycle after. You know the ancient story of the half-demon pinned to a tree and the time travelling priestess that saved him?"

Kagome grinned. "Absolutely… I'm from the Higurashi Shrine, you know."

Miroku's eyes twinkled when he looked down at her. "So you know of the half-demon of lore's sword, right? The _Tessaiga_."

"Yeah… _oh!_ Tessaiga… Tetsusaiga… I see what he did there." Kagome's mind began reeling. She _did _know of the half-demon of lore's sword, and somehow Inuyasha liking swords… _especially _the Tessaiga, could come in handy for her. With a gift-direction in mind, Kagome felt significantly better.

_Maybe I can actually get him a gift that he'll enjoy_!

* * *

It was the first time since the Book Restoration club formed that all members were present at the same time. Kagome was sitting between Shippo and Souten, two members that she immediately bonded with. Despite knowing them for _literally_ five minutes, Kagome had a sneaking suspicion that Shippo had a thing for Souten, but the poor girl was oblivious.

Working subconsciously, Kagome's mind began wandering to what Miroku revealed to her earlier.

_I know we have the real Tessaiga at the shrine, but I know my family won't let me take a historical relic offsite. What about a replica? _Kagome stared blankly at her book, stopping her work for a moment to think. _A replica is nice but… but I want to give him the real thing. The _actual_ Tessaiga from five hundred years ago. But how?_

It was locked up in their shrine, collecting dust. Her grandfather refuse to put it on display, saying that it was deteriorating and that it needed to be preserved. If what Miroku said held any truth, then Inuyasha would, in theory, take care of the sword thus preserving its state.

_Hmmm…_ Kagome picked her phone up and shot a text to her brother.

_Kagome~  
What're the odds, do you think, that Jii-chan will give me Tessaiga?_

She only had to wait a minute before her brother replied.

_Souta aka squirt~  
Slim. Very slim… why?_

Kagome gulped. If anybody could keep her secret, it was her brother.

_Kagome~  
I er… have a boyfriend._

_Souta aka squirt~  
:O, about time, nee-chan!_

_Kagome~  
Grr._

_Souta aka squirt~  
Lol! Okay, you have a boyfriend. What does this have to do with Tessaiga?_

_Kagome~  
He loves swords. Especially that one. He named his motorcycle after it…_

_Souta aka squirt~  
He has a MOTORCYCLE? That is so cool!_

_Kagome~  
Souta, focus!_

_Souta aka squirt~  
Right. Right.  
Give me a few days, let me finesse the sword from Jii-chan. You visiting anytime soon?_

_Kagome~  
In between classes and extracurricular clubs, it's hard._

_Souta aka squirt~  
No worries. I have a few days off… let me connect with Kohaku and maybe him and I can make a weekend trip?_

_Kagome~  
That'd be awesome! Thanks, squirt!_

_Souta aka squirt~  
Don't call me that._

_Kagome~  
Hehe, love ya!_

Kagome set her phone down and leaned back on her seat, an invisible weight lifted off of her shoulder. With her brother in on it, there was a _slim_ chance she'd get the Tessaiga in her possession. It wasn't exactly _worth_ much, given that the museum didn't believe in the folklore and refused to buy it from the Higurashi shrine, but the sword meant something to their family as they housed the Goshinboku tree, and the demon that was pinned to said tree wielded the aforementioned sword.

"You done slacking, freshman." Shippo playfully nudged Kagome. Kagome smiled at him and nodded before giving him a thumbs up.

"I think I am."

"Good, can I take a second to slack then?"

Laughing, Kagome playfully punched his shoulder. "Go ahead, slacker. Take as many seconds as you'd like."

"Takes one to know one." Shippo grinned as he pushed himself off of his chair. Kagome rolled her eyes before resuming her restoring. She heard Souten giggle softly and grinned over at her, both girls sharing a smile before turning their attention back to their books.

_I finally have a gift lead. _Kagome thought before locking her mind of anything to do with Inuyasha and his potential gift, focusing all of her energy on her restoration task at hand.

* * *

Kagome and her friends were sitting at a park near their campus, watching the sun set while sipping on bubble tea and exchanging gossip. Sango had taken it upon herself to let Ayame and Rin know that Kagome's ex-boyfriend had texted her. Almost instantly, both girls began bombarding Kagome with questions:

"Why is he here?"

"When is he starting?"

"Why did he text you?!"

"Are you going to tell the king?"

"ARE YOU GOING TO SAY YES?!"

Kagome glowered at Sango who simply shrugged in response and drank her tea. With an exasperated sigh, Kagome silenced her friends before answering their questions in whatever order she remembered them.

"Of course I'm not saying yes," she had to roll her eyes at that question, "I'm letting the guy down, obviously. I don't know why he's here or when he's starting but he probably texted me because he thought I'd be excited…" Kagome took a sip of her tea to moisten the back of her throat before continuing. "I'll tell Inuyasha… eventually."

"Shouldn't hide it from him." Rin muttered, knowingly.

"I don't intend to." Kagome shot back. "I just don't think he needs to know. Yet."

"Transparency is the key." Ayame said, next, with her dumb words of wisdom.

_And stupid Sango's just nodding. Stupid._ Kagome thought in annoyance. _You started their interrogation, you could at least defend me!_

"I **know**." Kagome said vehemently. "But it was just _one_ text. If Hojo tries to contact me again, I'll tell Inu—"

As if on cue, her phone rang. Ayame took a long swig of her tea and Sango offered her guess as to who it was.

"King-sama."

Rin nodded and Ayame quickly swallowed her tapioca so she can give her assumption before Kagome could dig her phone out of her bag. "Poetic justice: it's Hojo so Kagome could eat her words and tell Takahashi-san."

The three girls crowded Kagome as she, finally, fished her phone out of her backpack. They inhaled deeply as soon as they saw the name lit on her screen; they couldn't stop peering at the caller ID.

"So…" Ayame whispered as Kagome gawked at the name. "You telling your boyfriend now?"

**Hojo calling.**


End file.
